Manchester City is currently dealing with a major squad shortage, with 11 players out due to injuries. Yet, amid this crisis, one fit player, James McAtee, has consistently been left on the bench by Pep Guardiola.
In the recent 2-1 loss to Brighton, City needed a goal, and while Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne came on as substitutes, neither was fully fit and couldn’t prevent two quick Brighton goals. With about 15 minutes left, including stoppage time, Guardiola had no more substitutions in mind, and City took another defeat.
This marked the ninth consecutive game in which Guardiola has opted to keep McAtee on the bench, despite frequently praising his ability to bridge midfield and attack in tight spaces. If he isn’t playing now, when will he?
McAtee has made six appearances this season, scoring once in the Champions League and starting twice in the Carabao Cup along with a spot in the Community Shield. However, his Premier League playtime is minimal, with only a brief 90th-minute substitution for Erling Haaland in the 4-1 win over Ipswich in August. He’s remained on the bench in 10 of City’s 11 league games this season, including five critical moments when City was trailing in the second half and still had substitutions available.
For instance, Guardiola needed attacking inspiration but chose not to bring on McAtee in crucial games against Arsenal, Newcastle, Wolves, Bournemouth, and Brighton. Only against Brentford did Guardiola exhaust all his substitutions without turning to McAtee, even in instances where City was leading and McAtee could have gained valuable minutes.
The pattern is unclear, but McAtee has been largely sidelined. His single minute of league action accounts for a mere 0.001 percent of possible minutes this season. In total, he’s played just 234 minutes across 17 matches, amounting to 1.5 percent of City’s game time. And it’s not as though his skills are unnecessary.
“With teams who play so deep, he has the quality to find it,” Guardiola noted after McAtee scored in Slovakia. “He scored and had a few more chances. I always had the feeling that I believe more he can play here than he does. Hopefully, minutes can help him and show that he is part of that. Of course, he will not be a regular player this season, but in a lot of games he will help us, and when he plays like he did today, I can always count on him perfectly.“
More recently, Guardiola acknowledged the shortage of fit players and hinted that McAtee could get more game time, saying “it can happen.” But it hasn’t happened, leaving McAtee to wonder when his chance will come.
McAtee knows this won’t be a season where he plays every week. He’s in the squad to learn, and as he joins the England under-21s this week, he’ll have another chance to experience regular starts, possibly reminding him of his successful loan spell.
As the January transfer window approaches, City might benefit from giving McAtee more minutes to make him feel integral to the squad, potentially avoiding difficult discussions about his future in the new year.
