Blues focusing on youth development under Guardiola's tutelage
It's no secret that Man City are focusing on the youth development aspects of their club, and it's already reaping rewards. Once bitter rivals United would have been the premier destination for highly rated youngsters in Manchester, now it's City's facilities that offer the best environment for aspiring footballers.
While a top level youth setup is vital, it can never yield an overnight success, and clubs like Porto, Lisbon and Barcelona who have reaped the rewards of their innovative training facilities only did so after decades of hard work.
For the German national team, their World Cup win in 2014 was the culmination of over a decade of hard work and a grass roots overhaul of training and academy practises. For City the rewards of their refurbished foundations will come, but their transfer policy shows that commitment to youth development is happening across the board.
Youth development is not like a game of bingo, waiting patiently for things to go your way, instead it requires constant proactive approaches.
The signing of Ukrainian hotshot Oleksandr Zinchenko, alongside English talents Jason Roberts, and of course Raheem Sterling show that the club's management have one eye on the present, and another firmly on the future.
The reports that consistently link the club to Germany's Leroy Sane, considered by many as the nation's biggest prospect, and capturing him would be another huge leap in the right direction.
It's no secret that Guardiola's tutelage is invaluable for young players, as the likes of Messi, Busquets and Alaba have all flourished under his tenure as their manager. He is also not afraid to give young talent their big break, and not just in meaningless friendlies or unimportant games at the tail end of the season.
With a burgeoning youth setup and a manager who thrives on tutoring youngsters (he has often talked of finishing his career as a youth coach), City's future has never looked brighter.