NICO O'REILLY is giving Manchester City fans a glimpse of an exciting future in this season of woe.

Forget about left-back, where Pep Guardiola deployed him against Plymouth, O'Reilly is a home-grown talent who loves to attack. And boy can he attack.

His most natural position is No.10 and he took his tally to three City goals in just nine senior appearances with his two headers against the Pilgrims.

City rejected an offer from Chelsea for him in January to show they have learned their lesson after losing Cole Palmer to Stamford Bridge in 2023.

There is a touch of Steven Gerrard about O'Reilly. He is 6ft 2in tall at 19 and he won City's Academy Goal of the Year last season when he scored from the halfway line against Nottingham Forest.

This came after he made his name at City by scoring a spectacular scorpion kick against Middlesbrough for the Under-18s in 2023.