The player graduated from the Academy, James Mcatee left Man City to sign a long -term contract with Nottingham Forest for about £ 30 million.
This move ended 11 years with Man City for the 22 -year -old attacking midfielder, the first to enroll in the Academy at the U11 level. MCatee improved impressively through the young levels of the team, reaching the peak with an important role on the path of winning at the FA Youth Cup in 2020, including the opening goal in the final.
The talent born in Salford had the first football match of Man City in September 2021, on the pitch instead of the victory over Wycombe at the Carabao Cup. 28 appearances for Man City youth team in that season helped him win the title of the best player of the year when the team enhanced the second title among 4 titles.
MCatee joined Sheffield United on a loan in the summer of 2022, once again shining when Blades won the right to promote from Championship. He returned to Bramall Lane in the 2023/24 season to first play in the Premier League for the first time.
Mcatee was later put into the official squad of Man City by Pep Guardiola in the 2024/25 season, 27 times and scored 7 goals. The most prominent performance was in the FA Cup match against Salford City when he scored a hat-trick in an overwhelming victory 8-0.
This summer, MCatee was the U21 U21 captain at the European Championship and crowned the championship. Currently, he will continue his career in Nottingham.
Mcatee said: “I want to thank everyone in Man City for the support and instructions of them during the time I was here. I joined the team when I was a boy with the dream of playing at the highest level and I was able to achieve that when I became a part of Pep's great squad”
“Every step is great – from the victory at the FA Youth Cup, to the first launch and developed from there. I left Man City with a lot of great memories and prayed for the best for everyone to participate in my development here,” the young English player added.
Man City Football Manager, Hugo Viana added: “James has been part of Man City's story for a long time after growing up through our academy system since childhood. He was a great example showing what our academy aims to – looking for local talent and training them to play at the highest level.
The number of players from our Academy is not only in the squad but also throughout the Premier League is a testament to that effort. We were all looking forward to witnessing his career progress and welcoming him when we confront Nottingham next time. “