Ryan McAidoo was left out of Enzo Maresca’s Champions League squad for the trip to Germany, so he made his point in the UEFA Youth League instead, driving Man City’s Under-19s to a vital 2-1 win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
The game came only hours before the senior side’s own 3-2 win in Leipzig, and for the youngsters the stakes were simple. With just one point from their opening three games, Manchester City had to beat Leipzig to keep any hope of reaching the knockout phase alive.
They did, just about, and the 18-year-old winger was the reason. He did not get his name on the scoresheet, but he set up the opener and the penalty that followed early in the second half.
How did McAidoo win it for City’s Under-19s?
The first half finished goalless, and it was clear from the first whistle that RB Leipzig had done their homework on him. That is the downside of becoming a first-team name: the surprise element in academy football is gone.
McAidoo raised his game straight after the break. Teddie Lamb tapped in after the Leipzig goalkeeper could not keep out his shot, and minutes later his pass to Dante Headley brought a penalty. City wobbled after conceding late on, but McAidoo kept the ball under pressure and was unusually fired up before he was taken off for the final minutes.
First-team coach Willy Caballero was there to watch, so Maresca will hear a positive report on a player he took a shine to early.
Why was he not in the Champions League squad?
McAidoo was the standout player in the academy last season, and one cameo in the summer was enough to earn him a place in Maresca’s squad. Since coming back from injury he has already been trusted in Premier League and Champions League matches.
The setback came at Aston Villa. He completed four take-ons in the second half, but his final ball let him down when a big chance was there. Plenty of his teammates were poor that day too, yet a moment like that would have been a big step in his young career.
Instead, when Maresca named his 23 for RB Leipzig, fellow academy star Floyd Samba made the trip and McAidoo did not. Samba has been used more as a forward, which put the onus on the former Chelsea youngster to shine with the Under-19s. He had struggled to do that in the Youth League last month, when the PSG left-back was ready for every trick he tried.
What did Oliver Reiss say about Ryan McAidoo?
Under-19s coach Oliver Reiss pointed to McAidoo’s lack of regular football and was pleased with how he responded after half-time.
“It’s not easy for him because he’s not playing so much every week,” Reiss said. “He’s not in his rhythm so he needs these games and I was happy that he increased in the second half and was able to do this in the end. He was a big part of the win today.”
He also put the result in the wider context of the academy’s job. “We can put results in context in terms of the age of the group and things like this. We want to win every game but at the end it’s about developing players and improving players and for them having this experience and to be part of a successful game like today.”
That fits a difficult stretch for City’s young players, who also saw the Under-21s beaten 5-0 at Port Vale last month.
Is Ryan McAidoo ready for more first-team minutes?
We think so, but this was the right kind of test. Being dropped from a Champions League trip can knock an 18-year-old, and the way he answered it, against defenders who knew exactly what he likes to do, says more than a goal against a side caught cold.
The Villa night showed the gap he still has to close: the dribbling is there, the end product has to follow. Games like Wednesday’s, where he decides the result rather than just beats a man, are how he closes it.
Four points from four games keeps the Under-19s alive in the Youth League. For McAidoo, the bigger win is that he goes back to Maresca’s group with something to show for it, and we would not be surprised to see him back in a matchday squad soon.
