Guardiola set to hand young wing ace promotion to the first team at City

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola is considering promoting teenage winger Jayden Braaf to the first-team set up next season, according to sources at the Etihad.

The Netherlands Under-18 starlet has been compared to another flying Manchester City academy graduate – Borussia Dortmund and England sensation, Jadon Sancho.
And like his namesake, the feeling is that 17-year-old Braaf has the talent to go very far, attracting a plethora of scouts to watch him in action for City’s Under-23 side this season.
The Amsterdam-born starlet is fast and with the skills to match, with City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain reporting favourably back to Guardiola.
There is growing excitement Braaf could be the ‘real deal’, having snapped him up from PSV Eindhoven for next to nothing in August 2018.
City could lose winger Leroy Sane if the Germany international continues to push for a move to Bayern Munich this summer.
And City insiders have hinted Guardiola is giving plenty of thought to adding Braaf to the senior set-up, having previously been accused of not giving youth a chance by some of his detractors.
The Catalan, however, has started to show more faith in young midfielder Phil Foden, along with rookie defenders Eric Garcia and Taylor Harwood-Bellis and he may hand the winger a run out if the season ever gets going again following the coronavirus.

Unlike Sancho, who ran down his contract at City, citing no path to first-team football, Braaf has three years left on his agreement.
The Dutch press have previously spoken of a player who can come across as ‘big headed’ – something Guardiola certainly wouldn’t stand for.
However, Braaf, who has scored 11 goals in 26 outings this term, is liked by the City manager, suggesting he will have a far better handle on what his character is like.
Pep Guardiola

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