Symons delighted by Academy involvement in Watford win | OneFootball

Kit Symons says he was delighted by the contributions of our Academy contingent in City’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Watford.

The ex-Blues defender was a guest on our Matchday Live broadcast for the third round clash, before joining Ally Mann on commentary duties.

During the meeting with the Hornets, Pep Guardiola included five former youth team players in our starting line-up, which saw 16-year-old defender Kaden Braithwaite make his debut.

Elite Development Squad midfielder Jacob Wright was then introduced in the second half to raise the total number of Academy starlets involved to six.

And Symons believes the education our youngsters receive at the CFA prepares them expertly for the rigours of senior football.

“Pep wants to get the young players, who he thinks are capable of dealing with it, up and training with the first team as soon as possible to give them that opportunity,” he said.

“It’s the little details, the way they pass the ball, the way they wrap it in with really good pace but taking genuine care for it.

“Little things like that you can see the young players have got which has been drilled into them and it becomes a habit and natural after a while.

“It’s great to see.”

Another of those Academy graduates involved in our Watford win was James McAtee.

The skilful and versatile midfielder played the full 90 minutes and was often at the heart of City’s effective and aesthetically pleasing attacking moves throughout the night.

And Symons praised the 21-year-old’s tireless work rate as we secured passage into Round Four.

“His overall game was very good,” Symons added.

“That desire when he did lose the ball to get back in and that’s brilliant. That’s what you see from all the wide players who play for City as well and the players in that number 10 position.

“The work rate and the effort to get back in and defend for the team is excellent.”