The Athletic suggests that Manchester City manager Maresca’s positive approach to wing play, combined with the club’s lack of suitable options in the transfer market, could give Ryan McAdoo the opportunity to enjoy his first real breakthrough season at City.

McAdoo is still extremely young, having only turned 18 at the end of June this year. For a player who has come through the academy and has yet to establish himself at the highest level, it is important not to place excessive expectations on him too early. However, Maresca has never shied away from giving opportunities to outstanding young players.

Speaking during Manchester City’s pre-season preparations, Maresca discussed McAdoo: “I have always been very open to young players. When I was at Leicester City, we set a club record for the number of players making their first-team debuts in a single season. It was the same at Chelsea, where we also set a record for academy players making their first-team debuts. If they have the ability, then there is no problem.”

Throughout the summer, Savinho’s future remained uncertain. As they did last year, Tottenham Hotspur once again showed interest in the Brazilian winger. Manchester City also looked for potential replacements in the transfer market and considered Chelsea winger Pedro Neto, but were ultimately put off by the price being demanded.

Savinho has disappointed some City supporters during his two years at the club, but it is worth remembering that he is only 22 and that his first season at City coincided with the worst campaign of Guardiola’s decade in charge. Very few City players performed at their best that season, meaning Savinho was never given an ideal environment in which to settle.

From one perspective, City could simply keep Savinho and allow him to benefit from Maresca’s tactical approach, which aims to create more opportunities for wingers to take opponents on one-on-one. If Savinho does eventually leave, the most logical solution may still be to sign an experienced replacement. However, rather than spending heavily in the transfer market, City could also choose to put their faith in McAdoo.

Manchester City only sign young players from outside their academy when they are convinced that those players possess the necessary quality, and McAdoo is clearly one of those cases. City had been monitoring his development for years before eventually signing him from Chelsea in 2024.

McAdoo is a left-footed winger who primarily operates on the right. He likes to cut inside before shooting and is also an extremely aggressive player who constantly looks to take on defenders.

“We were in constant communication with the club, and from day one I said he was exactly the type of winger I like,” Maresca said earlier this summer. “He is very aggressive in one-on-one situations, he is always willing to try things and he is capable of making the right decisions. But he is still very young and needs to develop along the right pathway.”

“If you look at the teams I have managed previously, I have always wanted this type of winger. You have to allow them to develop through the right process, but at the same time, you need players who can beat opponents one-on-one out wide.”

During Manchester City’s pre-season tour of Asia, the wingers were among the most impressive performers. Antoine Semenyo in particular caught the eye, while Savinho also caused opponents plenty of problems with his dribbling ability.

McAdoo produced a performance to match them in City’s opening game against Inter Milan. However, he injured his shoulder after falling in training and subsequently missed the matches against the K League All-Stars and Atletico Madrid in South Korea.

Last season, McAdoo made his first-team debut under Guardiola and scored a superb goal in Manchester City’s 10-1 FA Cup victory over Exeter City. After scoring, he ran towards the stands to celebrate with his father.

Pep Lijnders was responsible for speaking to the media after that match, and the assistant coach gave McAdoo extremely high praise, with his assessment clearly reflecting his emphasis on off-the-ball movement and pressing.

“Everyone is talking about Ryan McAdoo, about the goal he scored, about it being a special day and about him running over to hug his father, all those things, but his pressing was crazy,” Lijnders said.

He then summed up some of McAdoo’s other qualities: “This player always wants the ball. When he is facing the goal, he is very dangerous.”

“He can cut inside, he can go on the outside, and he can control the ball in different situations. He always has this urge to create something, especially in the way we play with wingers. That is exactly the type of player we want. If you can bring them into the first team early and let them train at that level early, they can adapt to the intensity of first-team football more quickly and make the progress we want them to make.”

“Today, he was serious. He gave us some moments of brilliance, but it wasn’t just about those moments. He kept following Erling [Haaland], constantly running after him. He played 95 minutes despite having not played a competitive match for quite some time because he had been training with us. When he gets the ball, he makes me smile. I think he will make the fans smile too, and that is something special.”

McAdoo then came off the bench in the following match against Salford City, but Guardiola described him as somewhat “shy” on the day.

Facing a more experienced left-back, the 17-year-old clearly struggled and found it difficult to beat his opponent one-on-one. In many ways, that was understandable.

“That is part of the process; at 17, that is normal,” Guardiola said. “But we didn’t complete the process. We didn’t give the ball to Ryan and let him use his incredible ability to beat players one-on-one. The ball should have been moved quickly to the other side, but our passing was too slow.”

Interestingly, the timing of McAdoo’s goal against Exeter was significant. Just one day earlier, Guardiola had spoken about what is now required of wingers in an increasingly physical Premier League.

“Before, we thought wingers should be small, short players who relied mainly on technique and ability,” Guardiola said. “But now look at Paris Saint-Germain, or Real Madrid, Barcelona and Yamal. Modern wingers are more like Sané — tall, long-legged and extremely fast.”

McAdoo is a short winger. Whether his height will affect his development at Manchester City, or even at another club, will be something worth monitoring, whether his future involves a loan move or a permanent departure.

Given McAdoo’s age, Maresca does not want to rush his development. However, the current situation suggests that he is clearly willing to give the youngster opportunities when the right moment arrives.

Like many young players, those opportunities could initially come in domestic cup competitions. If the team progresses smoothly, he may also get chances to come off the bench in the Premier League or even the Champions League.

If he gets that opportunity, particularly in a tactical system like Maresca’s that places such a strong emphasis on dribbling and taking defenders on, McAdoo could quickly become a player that City supporters start to notice if he can make the most of his chances.