Five senior Manchester City players have been left out of the squad for Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie with Brighton, giving academy prospects a chance to stake a claim under Enzo Maresca.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, Elliot Anderson, Erling Haaland, Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias are all absent, with the manager prioritising rest for his key players over fielding his strongest team against Fabian Hurzeler's side, who have made a strong start to the season.
Rest for key players
This is not the first break for the group. Anderson and Gvardiol were on the bench against Ipswich last week, Haaland sat out the AEK Athens game, and Dias was taken off at half-time against PSG. The decision gives the five players three full days off to rest both body and mind.
Maresca said several of his players needed a proper rest and is delivering on that promise. Wherever he thinks time can be found for them to get away from everything, they will have that opportunity, and this week is one of those moments.
Academy players in line
Their absence could benefit the academy. Ryan McAidoo came on in the second half at Villa Park on Saturday, and with five players dropping out there are places up for grabs. Marcus Bettinelli, Matheus Nunes and Allan could come in, but a youthful presence should remain in the squad if not the team.
Floyd Samba started in the last round of the Carabao Cup against Norwich and also led the line against AEK Athens, a game where McAidoo and defender Kaden Braithwaite came on. These players are not making every squad but are getting regular opportunities.
Maresca explained his approach in one of his first press conferences during City's pre-season in Hong Kong: "I am always very open with young players. At Leicester, it was a record number of debuts from the academy. And at Chelsea it was also a record number of debuts from the academy."
There is still some way to go for Maresca to overhaul Pep Guardiola's tally, but so far he has kept around the young players who impressed him in the summer and played them in every competition. The Brighton game looks like more evidence of that pledge being kept.
Risk of criticism
The decision leaves the manager open to criticism if things go wrong on Wednesday. The Carabao Cup has been a profitable competition for City in recent history, and Brighton have shown they cannot be underestimated. Maresca, though, has made it clear he is going to do things his way.
