Shay Given has raised serious concerns about Manchester City’s decision to let go of four academy talents following their crushing 2-1 loss to Aston Villa.
The Premier League champions’ downward spiral continued during the lunchtime kickoff, with Villa’s academy star Morgan Rogers stealing the show.
The 22-year-old midfielder played a pivotal role, setting up Jhon Duran’s opener in the 16th minute before doubling Villa’s lead with a composed strike in the second half.
Phil Foden managed to pull one back deep into stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to salvage a result. City’s failure to win away from home in their last eight matches has now dropped them to sixth, nine points behind league leaders Liverpool, who hold two games in hand.
Former City goalkeeper Shay Given expressed his disbelief over City’s poor form and their decision to offload young talents.
“We’ve never seen anything like this – one win in 12. It’s a terrible run with too many defeats,” Given remarked. “Does Pep Guardiola feel the pressure? Does he walk away? It’s hard to understand what’s happening.”
Given highlighted that players like Rogers, Jadon Sancho, Cole Palmer, and Liam Delap—once part of City’s academy—have been flourishing elsewhere. Rogers, in particular, delivered a man-of-the-match performance against his former side.
“The age of their squad is an issue,” Given continued. “They couldn’t match Villa physically or tactically. Rogers was outstanding today, and you could see him chatting with Pep after the game, probably thinking, ‘You let me go.’ Every player wants to prove their worth against a former club, and he did exactly that.”
Reflecting on Villa’s win, Rogers credited their counter-attacking sharpness as the key to victory. “It was tough. City makes you work so hard out of possession,” Rogers told TNT Sports. “But we were good on the counter, and that’s why we won.”
The young midfielder also praised Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, for pushing him to improve. “Every day, he challenges me and doesn’t let me take a moment off.
He’s not just improving me but everyone in the squad. I’m excited to keep progressing under him and see where it takes me,” Rogers added.