Man City have added a 20-year-old goalkeeper to their ranks, and he comes from the very club they host at the Etihad on Saturday.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Seb Jensen last played for Brighton and has now moved to City, where he is part of the training group supporting the first-team keepers.
When he isn’t needed by Enzo Maresca’s squad, Jensen trains with Oli Reiss’ side instead.
Who is City’s new goalkeeper?
The surname will ring a bell at Burnley. Jensen is the son of former Premier League goalkeeper Brian, who played in the top flight with Burnley.
The younger Jensen has been capped by Denmark at Under-18 level and was on the books of Everton before his spell at Brighton.
Why do Man City want a fourth keeper?
It comes down to how City train. They like to work with four goalkeepers across their sessions, hence the decision to bring Jensen in.
So this isn’t a move that touches the debate over the No.1 shirt. Maresca has already settled that one in Gianluigi Donnarumma’s favour, even after Gerónimo Rulli’s shootout heroics against Brighton in the Carabao Cup.
Could Seb Jensen get a chance under Maresca?
Maresca has made no secret of wanting to promote youth where he can. He was Under-21 boss at City for a season earlier in his coaching career, and a pathway from the academy to the first team is a key objective for him.
Ryan McAidoo, Floyd Samba and Kaden Braithwaite have already had minutes this season, while young striker Dexter Oliver was named in the squad for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie.
Maresca even spent that afternoon watching the Under-18s beat Southampton 2-0 in the Premier League Cup, with Timeo Whisker scoring both goals.
A tough week for the group he joins
Jensen arrives at a bruising moment for the young Blues. Reiss’ Under-21s were beaten 5-0 at Port Vale in midweek, trailing 4-0 at the break, and are out of the EFL Trophy.
Reiss said of the competition: “This is first of all a learning competition for us although we want to win every game.”
Next up for many of that group is a UEFA Youth League trip to RB Leipzig on Wednesday, 4 November, at 2pm. City’s Under-19s have one point from three games after defeats by Porto and PSG and a draw with AEK Athens. They sit 31st, level on points with Leipzig, and only the top 22 of the 36 teams progress. Napoli and a trip to Barcelona still await.
Verdict: Seb Jensen is a smart depth move, nothing more yet
Let’s not get carried away. This is a training-ground addition, not a rival for Donnarumma, and the job he’s there to do is clear enough.
But for a 20-year-old, a place in that group is a serious education, and he gets to move between Maresca’s senior keepers and Reiss’ youngsters. With this manager so keen on promoting from within, that’s not a bad place to be standing.
