Micah Hamilton and Mahamadou Susoho were the latest starlets to have progressed through the ranks at the CFA to reach the senior side earlier this week.
Hamilton made his debut in Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Red Star Belgrade and scored a wonderful goal just 19 minutes in.
City v Crystal Palace | Match preview
They were two of the seven Academy graduates in the matchday squad with Hamilton joining Oscar Bobb and Rico Lewis in the starting lineup.
Phil Foden came on to the pitch alongside Susoho while Max Alleyne and True Grant were unused substitutes.
Guardiola was delighted with the youngsters involved on Wednesday and claimed their involvement demonstrates the value of the Academy to the Club and our fans.
“All the big clubs, the academy is an important part of many things,” he said.
“We see what’s happened in the last five or six years for the players that make a career away with a good transfer for the Club so it’s important to be sustainable financially and economically.
“I know how important it is for fans to see players like Rico, Phil, Micah. To come from seven, eight or nine and then be in the first team is phenomenal.
“Hopefully in the future we can have more players like this.”
City return to Premier League action this weekend when Crystal Palace are the visitors to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon ahead of a flight to Saudi Arabia for the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup.
In the midst of an intense December which will see us play nine times, Guardiola insists he has little time to work with his players.
However, the boss believes his squad are capable of understanding his ideas even without lengthy training sessions in order to work on them.
He specifically spoke about Jack Grealish, who made a match winning impact at Luton last weekend with his second-half strike.
“Intelligent players understand without training sessions, sometimes in 10/15 minutes we can do it,” he stated.
“Jack is such a smart player and he can get it immediately. He was a typical no.10 at Aston Villa but also adapted and played as a winger.
“When he arrived, I remember at Watford he played at false nine and felt comfortable so he can play in other positions.
“Jack has to demand of himself to score, make assists, win games.
“We know the quality he has to keep the ball and give an extra pass. Hopefully he can take the rhythm as quick as possible because absolutely we need him.”
City v Crystal Palace app coverage
Our official app allows you to follow all of the action from one place.
Minute-by-minute text updates will begin in our Matchday Centre two hours before kick-off, while our Matchday Live show will begin at 14:00 (UK).
As usual, we have a stellar lineup on the broadcast with Ian Holloway, Keith Kurle and Kit Symons our special guests - offering their expert insight before, during and after the action.
They will also answer viewer questions throughout the broadcast, with audience participation actively encouraged on Matchday Live. To get in touch, send a WhatsApp to: +447537186538.
During the game you can also listen to live audio commentary from Alistair Mann and Andy Morrison while our text commentary continues.
Make sure to have push notifications turned on as well, so you can be alerted to key moments in the action, including goals, red cards and the team news.
Short highlights from the match will be published at 19:00 (UK) before extended highlights and full-match replay [available on CITY+] can be accessed from midnight.
