McAtee made only his third Premier League appearance of the season for City at Leicester despite being in every matchday squad, with his previous two introductions coming in the 90th minute.
Within eight minutes of coming on, McAtee’s skill set up De Bruyne to find Savinho to cross for Erling Haaland to seal a much-needed win. Clamour among City fans has grown for McAtee to be given a chance, and De Bruyne stressing how the dressing room always had faith in the youngster’s ability.
“He’s got a really good quality. Obviously he’s not played that much but today is important,” the Belgian said. “For a young player to come in and give us a bit of energy.
“To give us a bit of a bright spark will do him good but also for us.
“Maybe he gives Pep a little more confidence to play him. It can only be a good thing.”
Not every player could say something like that about their manager’s selection decisions, but Guardiola and De Bruyne are close and the boss said as much about McAtee in his own press conference.
This story is from the December 31, 2024 edition of Manchester Evening News.
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This story is from the December 31, 2024 edition of Manchester Evening News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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