Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis has revealed he will be glued to his mobile phone in the new year hoping he will be called upon for the upcoming Carabao Cup semi-finals versus Manchester United.
The 17-year-old started the quarter-final at the Kassam Stadium where the Cityzen’s overcame Oxford United to progress.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the teenager said: “I take it day by day. I wait for a text to tell me who I’m training with, the day before, sometimes on the day.
Can Harwood-Ellis and Garcia solve City's central defensive troubles?
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“I make sure I’m ready. Whether it’s the first team or the under-23s, it’s the stuff of dreams, isn’t it?
“I was never really involved in pre-season before this season. Hopefully, I’ve done a good job in China and the manager has kept me in the first season. My attitude won’t change if I drop back down to the under-23s. That’s football.
“It’s great to know the manager trusts in young players. But we’ve got to go out there and show him that he can. We’ve done a good job. We’ve just got to prove we’re ready for the next one.”
TIF Tactics – A star of the future?
Harwood-Bellis is said to be a hybrid between the cultured, continental centre-back Guardiola tends to prefer and the rugged English style defender often needed in the Premier League.
The Stockport born defender appears has a huge future ahead of him and his progress may deter the City bosses from splashing out on a centre-back in the summer. Guardiola has shown faith in both him and Eric Garcia, particularly in the cup competitions.
Whilst neither are ready to feature in the Premier League on a regular basis just yet; they could save the club a lot of money in the near future by solving the most problematic of areas for the Cityzen’s this season.