James McAtee will play for Sheffield United this season after securing his first loan spell away from Manchester City.
Talented attacker McAtee, 19, has impressed for the academy over the last two seasons, winning the Premier League 2 Player of the Year in 2021/22 thanks to his eye-catching haul of 22 goals and seven assists in 27 appearances. He also made six senior appearances last term, and was a regular in Pep Guardiola's training with the first team.
He was part of City's pre-season training squad this summer, coming off the bench against Club America in Houston and looking bright, and had been mentioned as someone who may have supported the first team squad for the coming campaign. Now, though, he heads out on loan to the Championship to aid Sheffield United's promotion push.
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McAtee will link up with fellow City midfielder Tommy Doyle at Bramall Lane, with the pair hoping to help the Blades improve on their play-off semi-final defeat last term. United described England under-21 international McAtee as 'one of the hottest prospects in English football' when announcing his signing.
There is no option for Sheffield United to buy McAtee at the end of the loan, with the Salford-born player under contract at City until 2026. There had been plenty of interest in McAtee, both on loan and for a permanent transfer, this summer, but Sheffield United have won the race to give him his first taste of regular senior football.
Speaking of the move, McAtee told Sheffield United's website: "I'm looking forward to the challenge, I've been building up to a loan for a few years now and I think I'm ready.
"Paul [Heckingbottom] was a lovely guy to meet, he showed me around and made me feel welcome. He was telling me about how he sees me playing and that's how I see it too. The way the Sheffield United play suits me and hopefully I can help with creative options. Manchester City are obviously happy with the club, they want me to get some game time and experience."
Blades manager Heckingbottom offered an insight into the process of signing McAtee, saying they fought off plenty of interest for his services. He explained: "James a talented player, someone who rated very highly at City and throughout football. We are excited to get him."
"We know there was a lot of interest in him, we registered ours last year but obviously James wanted to get in the Manchester City squad. As soon as he became available for loan, his agents did a really good job, presented the clubs who were interested and I believe we were the only one in the Championship who he wanted to speak to, among interest from the Premier League and abroad. We put our best foot forward, we told James what he can expect from us but likewise what we expect from him and he wanted to come.
"We are grateful to Manchester City, we think we are a good place for young players and comparisons have been drawn, we have huge expectation and a major fan base."
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