Pep: City youngsters must seize the day

Pep Guardiola has warned that no youngsters will be gifted a place in his star-studded Manchester City side.

City are keen for players from their much-vaunted academy to progress to the first team, but manager Guardiola has made it clear that they have to earn that right through hard work.

Progress to next month’s Carabao Cup final should be a formality for the holders but Guardiola still intends to play some of his senior players, including Kevin De Bruyne, while France left-back Benjamin Mendy could be on the bench after undergoing an operation in November.

The highly-rated 18-year-old Phil Foden is set for another opportunity as City, leading 9-0 on aggregate, face Burton in the second leg of their semi-final this evening. Others that could be included are defenders Philippe Sandler, 21, and Eric Garcia, 18.

Guardiola said: “I’m pretty sure they are motivated to play in the first team, to play alongside incredible players in competitions and semi-finals. It is a massive opportunity for them to be close to the first team, but it is not easy. We don’t give presents because they are nice or something special. It depends on them.

“They have to show us, they have to play their level.”

It is not only youngsters, however, who must live with formidable competition for places. Centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, 30, made just his eighth Premier League start of the season in Sunday’s 3-0 victory at Huddersfield having previously been a mainstay in the side.

“He’s not happy,” Guardiola said. “But it’s not just Otamendi, [it’s] everybody. All of them. I don’t know what I can do but be honest with myself and with them.

In the end with Nico, I know we can count on him at any time in any situation because he’s an incredible professional and always he’s ready. I’m delighted with him.

Meanwhile, Nigel Clough does not feel the scale of Burton’s achievement is fully appreciated.

Burton have only been playing in the Football League since 2009, and Clough does not think the feat will ever be repeated by a club of its size.

Burton knocked out Aston Villa, Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough to reach the semi-finals, although their wildest dreams of going all the way to Wembley became something of a nightmare in the first leg.

Clough said: “It’ll probably never happen again. To beat the team’s we’ve beaten to get here and end up in the last four with City, Chelsea and Tottenham — three of the best sides in Europe.

“The likelihood of us ever making the second leg competitive were very slim and I think what will strike them more than anything, their players and staff, is when they come here and take a look around our little ground and see the size of club we are.

“I think they will ask themselves, I hope, how a club of our size has made it to the last four of a major cup competition. I want them to take that away more than anything else when they come here as then I think they might be able to comprehend the scale of our achievement.”