dailyloe.com – Manchester City’s Under-18s beat Blackburn Rovers 4-1 to reach the FA Youth Cup final on Friday night. The victory was highlighted by another impressive display from 17-year-old winger Ryan McAidoo. His performance underscored why coaches at the club hold him in such high regard.
Ryan McAidoo is not a new name to many Manchester City fans. The winger made his senior debut in the FA Cup demolition of Exeter. He scored a goal to cap that promising debut.
Assistant coach Pep Lijnders called McAidoo’s pressing ‘insane’. Lijnders also said McAidoo was a ‘serious player’. That has been the sense at City since he joined from Chelsea’s academy two years ago.
The youngster matches his flair and creativity with hard work and ambition. He is trying to push closer to Pep Guardiola’s first team. McAidoo made another FA Cup appearance against Salford and has regularly trained with the seniors this season.
There is an expectation that academy players will make a difference in academy games. This is to keep sharpness up with match minutes. In McAidoo’s case, that expectation has certainly been met.
City were strong favourites to beat Blackburn in the FA Youth Cup semi-final. Blackburn surprised them after striker Valentin Joseph took advantage of a defensive mistake. Frustration grew as the first half continued and the game slowed down.
That was until Ryan McAidoo stepped up. He cut inside his man and fired in a low shot to level the score. The goal was good and what followed was even better.
McAidoo showed no interest in celebrating his goal. He instead ran back to his own half and beckoned his teammates to follow him. They did, setting the tone for a relentless City to turn up the heat.[]
Source: Manchester Evening News
