Manchester City once again claimed the throne of Premier League in 2023-24. City have now won four consecutive league titles and are creating history. Along with senior team, City’s youth team has been creating some amazing professionals. Recently Joel Ndala has taken over the internet and is expected to make his senior debut for Manchester City next season. This season Ndala was included in City’s squad but was not able to make his debut.
Manchester City’s academy is gaining a lot of attention for the quality of players they are producing. The biggest example is Phil Foden who has earned his spot as an extremely crucial player for City. We have also seen Oscar Bobb and Rico Lewis making their senior team appearances in the recent times. Cole Palmer who is also Man City academy graduate has taken over the Premier League as a promising attacker with his amazing season at Chelsea. Joel Ndala who recently turned 18 could soon be seen following the footsteps of these players and making his senior team debut.
Joel Ndala
Ndala was born in Manchester but moved to France when he was very young. He returned back to England when he was seven and quickly was picked by Port Vale at the age of eight. Ndala through his performances in youth team caught eyes of big clubs. In 2017, Man City made a decision to include Nadala in their youth team.
Ndala played in City’s under 18 team when he was only 15 years old. No player has achieved this before. In his first season, Ndala didn’t disappoint the club after scoring 10 goals. Soon he made UEFA youth league debut with under 19 team. This was followed by City offering him a professional contract in 2022. Ndala travelled with Man City’s senior team to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup games. However the youngster didn’t receive an opportunity to showcase his skills.
Ndala made his debut for England under 18 team in September 2022. At that time Ndala was only 16 years old. In March 2023 he scored his first goal for under 18 team. As a result Ndala was selected by England to represent them in under-17 world cup. England had to face round of 16 elimination. However, Ndala stood out as he had a promising season with Young Lions. He managed to score 3 goals along with providing 2 assists in the 4 appearances. ESPN claimed that Ndala is a phenomenal talent based on his performances in the tournament.
How can Manchester City benefit from Ndala
Ndala has promised a bright future and also has been compared to Jeremy Doku. Ndala is known for his dribbling skills. The 18 year old forward has very quick feet and is able to glide past the defenders. Ndala is also good with both feet making him an unique winger. He can adapt to both right or left flanks making him important aspect on the pitch. When needed, Ndala is able to slow down the tempo of the game when the team is leading. Due to his skills and pace he can be compared with Doku for the time being. However, Ndala has a lot to improve and being only 18 years old he has a lot of time to achieve it.
Manchester City had to push till the last game to claim their spot as Premier League champions. Due to the these every game was crucial and hence City didn’t tried much to include young talents in the team. However next season seems promising to offer Ndala with an opportunity he deserves. Ndala will hope to follow footsteps of Foden to achieve his spot as regular starter under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.
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