- 21 hours ago
Man City players on loan: How Harrison, Herrera and Co. are performing
Manchester City, one of the richest clubs in the world, naturally have an abundance of talent at their disposal both in their first team and in their youth ranks, which means they have plenty of players currently out on loan.
Though other elite clubs probably have higher profile stars out on loan, there are some interesting prospects within the loanee ranks who could potentially make an impact at the Etihad in the future.
One player who was out on loan this season was Angelino, but he has already completed a permanent move to RB Leipzig.
So, how are the others performing?
Jack Harrison
Though some would be forgiven for thinking Jack Harrison is actually a Leeds United player as he has spent the last three seasons on loan at Elland Road, he remains a Man City player.
At 24-years-old, his prospects of making an impact at the Etihad are dwindling, and there is continued speculation that Leeds will finally make his move permanent this summer.
Harrison was a key figure in Leeds earning promotion last season and has been excellent in their first promoted season up, too, scoring six goals and assisting a further four in 24 appearances.
He may not get to play for the Man City first team in his career, but Leeds or someone else will benefit from having him around going forward.
Yangel Herrera
Another player who has perhaps went beyond the age of making an impact at City is Yangel Herrera, who is currently out on loan at Granada in Spain.
After arriving from Atletico Venezuela in 2017, Herrera would go out on loan to New York City FC and then Huesca before the higher profile transfer to Granada, where he has spent the last 18 months.
In the 2020/21 campaign he has made 25 starts for Granada and scored eight goals, with five of them coming in the Europa League – an impressive feat who a player show is by trade a defensive midfielder.
Pedro Porro
Right-back-turned-winger Pedro Porro allegedly turned down the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as a youngster in order to sign for Girona.
It was there that he made his name and eventually earned an £11 million transfer to Man City.
Thereafter followed a loan to Real Valladolid and now to Sporting, where he will spent at least two seasons with the Portuguese giants.
He is in the first of his two years in Lisbon, but hasn’t impressed too much yet, as he has only tallied up three goals and one assist in 21 starts.
To be fair to Porro, however, he has tended to play as a wing-back more than a conventional winger this campaign, but his returns still aren’t great.
Patrick Roberts
There is still a feeling of wasted potential about Patrick Roberts, as he was viewed as one of the most exciting young talents in the country when Man City parted with £12m to sign him from Fulham in 2015.
Two successful loan periods at Celtic followed as he helped the Hoops to a double treble in his time at the club.
Since then, though, he has been on loan at Girona, Middlesbrough, Norwich, and now Derby, where he has made just two starts in the Championship in 2020/21.
Filip Stevanovic
Filip Stevanovic is currently Partizan Belgrade’s youngest ever scorer in a UEFA competition and their second youngest scorer in history, having scored at 16 years and 311 days old in the 2019/20 Europa League second qualifying round.
Since that goal, he went from strength at the club he has been with since his youth, with Man City parting with £6m in October of 2020, with the assumption being he would join in January.
However, he would stay with Partizan on loan and is currently still there, though the coronavirus pandemic has meant that they have not played a league game in 20221.
He has played in the Europa League and came off the bench against Man Utd.
Nahuel Bustos
Centre-forward Nahuel Bustos is currently on loan at Girona, having been signed by ‘City Football Group’ in 2020.
He hasn’t made much of an impressive in the Spanish Segunda Division, however, as he has made just six in the competition and hasn’t scored yet.
Bustos has found the back of the net twice this season – twice in the same game in the Copa del Rey against minnows Segoviana.
Issa Kabore
Right-back Issa Kabore had made just five senior appearances for Mechelen before Man City came calling with a fee of £4m to prise him away from the Belgian outfit.
He would return on loan for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign and has impressed, earning three assists from his 21 appearances.
At just 19-years-old there is plenty of room for improvement for the Burkina Faso international, and among the City loanee contingent he is one whom they have high hopes about.
Other Man City loanees
Yan Couto – Girona
Ko Itakura – Gronigen
Ante Palaversa – Korttrijk
Arijanet Muric – Willem II
Diego Rosa – Lommel
Luka Ilic – Twente
Marlos Moreno – Lommel
Pablo Moreno – Girona
Daniel Arzani – Aarhus
Ryotaro Meshino – Rio Ave