Why Brandon Barker Has an Exciting Future at Manchester City

There’s been growing frustration amongst the Manchester City fans in recent years who crave an influx of youth-team players into the club’s first team.

In years gone by, City were one of the best at producing players in their own academy that went on to play for the first team.

Some, such as Micah Richards, established themselves for a long time and managed to become a real hit with the fans. Others, such as Lee Croft and Glenn Whelan, made very few appearances for City but went on to have careers in the game.

However, since 2008, City have found it increasingly difficult to keep the conveyor belt in motion. Accelerated spending on the first team—and, in fact, every aspect of the club and the way it operates—means young players now have a much more difficult task forcing their way into the senior side than their predecessors ever had.

That could, however, be about to change. City currently have in their midst the most promising crop of young players they’ve had in years.

Kelechi Iheanacho heads the list and looks likely to feature intermittently for Manuel Pellegrini’s side this season, and Jason Denayer and Marcos Lopes aren’t far behind, although loan moves for those two could soon emerge.

Brandon Barker is another being talked about as a star of the future. Barker, 18, is a player with supreme confidence, always prepared to take a player on or try the audacious in front of goal.

Ian Walton/Getty Images

It’s a style that has garnered attention. Go on Twitter after any EDS match and the superlatives flow. He can use either foot, go down the outside or come inside and had built a wonderful relationship with Angelino before the Spanish left-back’s loan move to New York City this summer. 

He regularly destroyed academy right-backs last season. “He scores when he wants,” rang out from the terraces at City’s academy stadium on more than one occasion as he scored 12 goals throughout the campaign. He looked increasingly confident as the season rolled on and he took that into City’s preseason tour of Australia where he impressed with his skill and creativity alongside City's array of stars. 

Is he ready for a run in the first team in the near future? Absolutely not. Could he make the grade if he continues to make improvements to his game? Almost certainly, but the improvements will have to be significant. 

One of the major problems he faces is the level he needs to reach to become a regular is so incredibly high there are no guarantees he has the capability. City have just signed Raheem Sterling, a player only two years older than Barker, but one who looks way ahead in terms of quality. Sterling was playing regularly at Anfield as an 18-year-old and looks set to hold down a regular place for club and country for the foreseeable future.

Barker has some holes in his game. Physically he needs to improve—the rigours of the Premier League would be far too much for him at the moment—and he perhaps holds on to the ball for too long. He can be profligate in possession when up against physically powerful players. 

His career could easily go one of two ways. Either he makes the necessary adjustments to his game and harnesses his obvious talent to go on and become a hugely important player for City. Or he drifts, relying too much on his talent without also applying himself in the proper way, and he ends up being a player who flatters to deceive. Another Adam Johnson. 

He has everything he needs to succeed. Whether he will or not is down to him. 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.