Manchester City midfielder James McAtee will seek “assurances” from manager Pep Guardiola about his game time, according to GiveMeSport.
The midfielder scored his first senior goal for the Premier League champions during the 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
However, McAtee has had limited minutes this season, having only started in the Community Shield and the Carabao Cup.
The 21-year-old has made a single cameo appearance in the Premier League against Ipswich Town, while he was also given half an hour to impress versus Bratislava.
City turned down offers for McAtee in the summer
It was revealed at the end of August that the Cityzens had rejected bids worth up to £30m for the player.
Several teams have been credited with an interest in McAtee, including Chelsea, Stuttgart, Feyenoord, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Lille, Lens and Celtic.
However, GiveMeSport claim that City were determined to keep hold of the midfielder as they fear a repeat of what happened with Cole Palmer.
A loan switch in January could be a possibility
McAtee is not believed to be pressing for a permanent transfer away from the Etihad but, if he can’t get any guarantees from Guardiola about more game time, he may request another temporary move.
The player had spent two seasons on loan with Sheffield United but, as mentioned, there are clubs of a much higher calibre now interested in taking him.
It remains to be seen whether Guardiola would allow another midfielder to leave the club. It would weaken the squad even further following the serious injury sustained by Rodri. However, McAtee is keen to get minutes in order to continue his development so a resolution may have to be found.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
