Six Manchester City players that will improve significantly under Pep Guardiola

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Angelino

A comparison to Jordi Alba or Juan Bernat would be incredibly premature, but that’s exactly what I’m about to do. Jose Angel Esmoris Tasende, or Angelino for short, possesses exceptional pace, an eye for picking the right attacking moment, and the technical ability that Pep demands. The youngster possesses all the skills to make a reasonable comparison to his compatriots despite his tender age.

In an academy system brimming with talent, Patrick Viera declared the young Spaniard the best player he had worked with as his time in charge, high praise indeed for the 19-year-old. Several full backs have been linked with a move to City since Pep’s announcement, but City’s long-term solution to a problem position is already at the club.

He has recently spent some time on loan at NYCFC and City’s sister club were keen on bringing him back to the States for another season, but City have chosen to keep him at the Etihad, a probable signal of what lies ahead. With Aleksander Kolarov becoming increasingly unreliable and Gael Clichy struggling with form and injuries over the past year, the season ahead could be a massive one for Angelino.

Bersant Celina

In recent weeks Kosovo-born Celina has started to make his impact on City’s first team squad. He has made a couple of appearances as a substitute in the FA Cup and he made his Premier League debut in the defeat at home to Leicester City last weekend. Due to the score line it was a disappointing first league game for Celina, he did however give the Etihad crowd a glimpse of his technical ability, crossing perfectly for Aguero to head home.

A new contract is reportedly in the pipeline and Pellegrini chose to keep the 19-year-old in Manchester, despite interest in a loan move from several clubs including Celtic. He looked bright in his brief outing, and will surely prompt his Chilean boss into giving him more playing time, especially given City’s injury issues.

There is a raft of technically proficient players in the much talked about academy but Celina is head of the production queue and could make a real difference next season.