4 Manchester City Players Who Should Be Loaned out in 2015/16 Season

Given the Premier League’s “homegrown” rule, which states clubs must name at least eight players who were affiliated to an FA or Welsh FA club for three years prior to their 21st birthday, the need to produce talent has been significantly increased for English clubs.

There’s even talk of increasing the number to 12, according to Sky Sports, with the football authorities clear in their vision. They want Premier League clubs to take producing homegrown talent seriously.

Manchester City, with their new £150 million academy facility, appear very well placed to deal with the changes over the coming years. They are taking youth development very seriously indeed and currently possess a crop of young players who look likely to impact the senior team in the near future.

The loan system remains a vital part of a young player’s development. Elite Development Squad (EDS) level football helps with the technical side of a player’s game but to improve physically, a move to a Championship or Scottish Premiership team is much more beneficial.

So which city youngsters look set for a loan this season? Here are four who could leave the Etihad temporarily in search of more experience.

1. Angus Gunn

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City have in their midst a potentially top-drawer ‘keeper. Angus Gunn, son of Bryan, the former Norwich City goalkeeper, looks to have everything needed to make an impression at the very top of the game.

He's an incredibly mature young man with plenty of ambition. In an exclusive Bleacher Report interview back in November, he talked of usurping Joe Hart at both club and international level. Plenty who have watched him regularly believe he is capable. 

Some first-team experience is what's needed to continue the 19-year-old's clear progress over the past 12 months.

2. Brandon Barker

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In terms of talent, Brandon Barker, 18, appears to have plenty. He’s a left-winger who looks comfortable with either foot, twisting and turning defenders, beating them with skill and trickery. He's been a constant source of frustration for young full-backs all season.

Some of the goals he has scored have been remarkable, too. He's a confident, audacious young man who has a lot of potential. 

But he's far from the finished article. Against Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup final, he was somewhat nullified by the west Londoners' physicality. A loan move would be ideal. 

If he could follow the example of Jason Denayer, who spent last season on loan at Celtic and thrived, he will find himself much closer to the City first-team squad when he returns.

3. Kean Bryan

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Kean Bryan is another who looks ready to transfer his skills into a senior side to prepare himself physically for the City first-team squad. 

Bryan made his u18s debut when he was just 15. He plays as a defensive midfielder for Jason Wilcox's team and as a centre-back for Patrick Vieira's EDS side. He is a remarkably disciplined, mature young man who has a future, at some level, in the professional game. 

A loan at a Championship side would be hugely beneficial for Bryan. He's been superb for both Vieira and Wilcox this season and now needs to test himself in a more physically imposing environment. 

He injured his ankle ligaments at the end of the last campaign and will need monitoring when he returns from fitness, but as soon as he is back up to speed, a temporary switch could well happen.

4. Pablo Maffeo

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City’s 17-year-old Spanish right-back, Pablo Maffeo, was one of the standout EDS performers last season, and he could well follow left-back Angelino as a player loaned out.

Angelino joined New York City recently in a bid to ready him for first-team action. Maffeo has impressed as much, if not more, than the much-talked-about Angelino.

He's represented Spain at u15, u16 and u17 level and looks nailed on to be a star of the future.