Shame of empty seat on City bench as Guardiola wastes chance to offer the experience of a lifetime

PEP GUARDIOLA will have had that moment in his career when he was first picked to travel with the first team. As a young player, you absorb every detail: the hotel, the food, the gaffer’s team talk, the training session before the game. You can learn so much and, upon your return, you are glowing. That feeling is what Guardiola denied one of Manchester City’s youngsters by naming only six substitutes against Burnley. As a manager, you are responsible not just for the first XI, but the rest of the club, too. It does not reflect well on the academy if the manager does not deem any of the young players worthy of a seat on the first-team bench. City’s Under 23 side may have had a game on Friday, but Guardiola will have known by then that players in his squad were struggling. Why could a player not have been pulled from the Under 23s? One of City’s youngsters would have had a more beneficial experience at Turf Moor. After being told by his coach that he was travelling with the first team, he would have been walking on air. It is not only a reward for the player, but also for his family. All the sacrifices you make as a parent are worth it to watch your son warming up alongside galacticos such as Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero. It is a shame that Guardiola did not afford someone that opportunity.