Enzo Maresca has praised teenage winger Ryan McAidoo after the 18-year-old produced a standout performance in Manchester City's pre-season clash with Inter Milan.
Although Maresca's first match in charge ended in a penalty shootout defeat in Hong Kong, the result mattered little compared to the encouraging displays from several young players—none more impressive than McAidoo.
Playing in front of more than 40,000 fans at Kai Tak Stadium, the winger injected energy into City's attack after replacing goalscorer Divin Mubama at half-time. His fearless dribbling and willingness to take on defenders quickly caught the eye as he repeatedly troubled Inter's backline.
McAidoo came close to capping his performance with a goal, striking the post with a low effort before sending another shot narrowly wide, earning widespread praise for his confident display.
"We have been speaking with the club about Ryan and, from day one, he has been the kind of winger I love," Maresca said.
"He's very aggressive in one-on-one situations, always willing to take players on and usually makes the right decisions. But he's still young and needs to continue on the right development path."
McAidoo joined Manchester City from Chelsea two years ago and made his senior debut under former manager Pep Guardiola. He also scored in City's 10-1 FA Cup victory over Exeter City last season and featured against Salford in the following round.
With academy graduates such as Phil Foden, Nico O'Reilly and Cole Palmer establishing themselves at the highest level, McAidoo is now emerging as the latest exciting talent hoping to break into City's first team.
Maresca also hinted that the youngster has a genuine chance of staying with the senior squad, insisting every academy player will be judged on merit.
"If they're good enough, there's no problem," the Italian said. "Ryan is working well. He just needs to keep improving, and then we'll make the right decision."
