One To Watch: Hamilton winning the race to become next City star

Micah Hamilton looks poised to be Manchester City's latest academy hero.

Pep Guardiola handed the 20-year-old his senior debut in the Champions League earlier this month and also included him in the squad for the Citizens' recent Club World Cup triumph.

Hamilton scored a memorable debut goal 19 minutes into the 3-2 win over Crvena zvezda and will be hoping to earn his first minutes in the Premier League soon.

As the champions prepare to face in-form Everton at Goodison Park, we turn the spotlight on City's latest rising star.

Breaking through

Guardiola has been instrumental in the development of England international Phil Foden and could have a key role to play in Hamilton's future at the top level too.

The Three Lions youth prospect has been in and around the first-team squad in 2023-24, making the bench for the Carabao Cup clash at Newcastle and again against Young Boys in Europe.

And while he is yet to make the cut in the Premier League, it looks a matter of time before the winger is awarded the honour — particularly with the hectic festive schedule.

As part of the club's elite development squad, Hamilton has captained City in every game he has played, recording six assists in 11 appearances so far.

But with the likes of Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden all occupying his strongest areas on the pitch, the local lad is going to have to continue on his upwards trajectory.

Pep's praise

Grabbing the headlines as part of Europe's best squad is no easy task but Guardiola has heaped praise on Hamilton in recent weeks.

He said: "I am so happy for him. He is training well and we saw his skills. He made a fantastic goal. Defensively he was aggressive.

"It's not easy to get opportunities at that level because in big clubs you don't wait.

"Many players in our academy are in the Premier League or Championship. They have done unbelievable."

Bringing talent to the table

As a versatile forward, Hamilton can operate as either a winger or in attacking midfield.

Marred by injuries in his teenage years, Hamilton has had to sit and watch as other prospects accelerated through the youth squads and as a result is now the oldest player in City's reserve team.

But even though he has only played a few minutes under Guardiola, the wide man is often involved in first-team training and is clearly competing with some of his world-class team-mates.

As a one-on-one specialist, the Manchester-born trickster adds that flair and excitement that City fans are so used to seeing in the modern era.

Under the radar

With just six months left on his contract, Guardiola will be keen to tie Hamilton down to a new deal and academy coach Brian Barry-Murphy has certainly advocated such a move. 

He said: "Micah's probably gone under the radar because he's been injured for a long period.

"He can get a lot fitter and if you see him at his best he's pretty unique and has distinct parts of his game which are really exciting.

"He is someone who can eliminate players one by one, no matter how the game evolves, for a player to be able to beat a player one-on-one is one of the most exciting things."