In the 19th round of the Premier League, Manchester City won 2-0 away against Leicester City, marking their second victory in the last 14 matches. In this game, new summer signing Savigno contributed with a goal and an assist, becoming the key player for the team's win. Haaland also ended his four-game goal drought by scoring in the match. However, for Manchester City fans, the biggest highlight of the game was 22-year-old McAtee. He came off the bench and created the team's second goal. After the game, Coach Guardiola publicly apologized to him, admitting that he had given McAtee too few opportunities before.
In this game, McAtee came on as a substitute in the 66th minute, which was his third appearance in the Premier League this season and the first time he played before the 89th minute. When McAtee came on, the score was 1-0. The current Manchester City team is not good at maintaining a lead. A few minutes after McAtee came on, Vardy's header hit the post, causing a cold sweat among Manchester City fans.
In the 73rd minute of the game, McAtee took the ball on the flank, made a brilliant dribble past a defender, and then passed the ball to De Bruyne, who then passed it to Savigno on the left and finally assisted Haaland to score the second goal for Manchester City. After leading 2-0, the hearts of Manchester City fans finally settled. After this goal, the Manchester City fans at the scene did not shout Haaland's name first, but instead they were calling out McAtee's name.
Over the past two seasons, McAtee has been playing for Sheffield United. But after returning to Manchester City this summer, he was kept by Coach Guardiola in the first team. McAtee thought his opportunity had come, believing he had the ability to establish himself in the first team of Manchester City. However, these opportunities did not arrive, and as the whole team's form plummeted, the reality of McAtee's lack of playing time became even more frustrating.
The 22-year-old player is considering leaving Manchester City in the January transfer window, but he got the chance to come off the bench in the game against Leicester City and planned the team's second goal. The away fans sang his name more than once in the last 15 minutes, and Coach Guardiola also publicly apologized to McAtee after the game.
"There is no doubt that some things feel unfair," said Guardiola. "Sometimes, when the team is in a slump, we always want to blame the older players rather than the young ones, but the older players bear more pressure. They want to conquer the world. McAtee did not get enough playing time because of this, perhaps I was wrong."
"Before the game, I had this feeling. I said if I had to make a substitution today, the first one would be McAtee. I felt it. He can play on the wing, in the middle, and even as a forward. What makes me happiest is that every move he makes is reasonable. He didn't make any wrong moves, and defensively, he grew a lot in Sheffield, which made him so mature."
"He is an incredible player from our generation at Manchester City - Lavia, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Draper, Taylor Harwood-Bellis. They are all incredible players, and McAtee came out of this group and was their captain."
"That's why I told the sports director Begiristain, I know it's unfair to say now because 'you asked McAtee to stay, but I didn't give McAtee the playing time he deserved', so it's unfair. But I always have this feeling that he can play with us. I am very happy for McAtee because he is a very lovely person, he trains very well, never gets angry due to lack of opportunities, and he has earned his playing time."
