MAN CITY NOTEBOOK: Women’s team’s new £10m training complex gains council approval, U18s look to emulate Class of 2020 in Youth Cup final… and why NO ONE voted for Erling Haaland for Player of the Year

Manchester City have been given permission by the city council to build a new £10 million training complex for the women’s team as they head into WSL final-day drama.

Gareth Taylor’s side currently share the City Football Academy (CFA) with the men’s teams, but construction of their bespoke facility will begin before next season.

The 2024-2025 campaign begins in September and Bunny Shaw and co will still call the CFA home while construction work is completed.

The project includes a hydrotherapy room, a high-end gym and an analysis room, which share similarities with the resources available to Pep Guardiola.

Before anything else, City will be locked in a straight battle with Chelsea for the WSL title on the final day of the season (May 18) – and will be counting on rivals Manchester United for a favor.

Chelsea are three points behind with a game in hand against Tottenham next week before traveling to United. Chelsea’s goal difference is slightly better, while City look to clinch a first title since 2016 at Aston Villa and prevent Emma Hayes from winning five in a row before heading to America.

City aim for glory in the Youth Cup

City’s kids will be looking to earn the club’s second Youth Cup win in four years when they take on Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium on Friday evening.

As of Thursday morning, City had sold 17,500 tickets for a match with a maximum capacity of 20,000.

Ben Wilkinson’s Under 18s will be looking to follow in the footsteps of the Class of 2020. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and James McAtee scored in a thrilling 3-2 win over Chelsea and the trio have since impressed in the Premier League.

Tommy Doyle also shone for Wolves, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Liam Delap are receiving regular recognition for England Under-21s. Levi Colwill was a standout name on the Chelsea team sheet that evening.

The heroics of those involved at the time will provide further encouragement for Wilkinson’s side as they head into a home final, with a sizeable following expected from across the Pennines.

Although this is Leeds’ first appearance in a final since 1997, City’s youth academy is ready to win trophies, but make sure parents are also aware of the difficult path to professional football.

In the academy building at the club’s training ground, there are messages on the wall for families asking whether their child scoring a hat-trick is a reflection of their parenting. Below this, the question is then asked whether the personality traits of the boy or girl – modest, respectful – are actually a better indicator of this.

City skipper shunned United

Like Doyle in 2020, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey will captain the Under 18s for a final streamed on FA Player. The centre-back has been with City since the age of seven and revealed he had his choice of local clubs when he was scouted as a player for Deighton at Huddersfield.

“I was between teams: Everton, City, Manchester United,” said Simpson-Pusey. ‘I didn’t like it at City at first and went to United. I liked it at United because they just played mini-games and it wasn’t really good training.

‘My mother eventually got advice from people who had been in football and asked what would benefit me the most. They said they should go to City because they gave good training to help the player technically and individually.’

That turned out to be a smart decision. Simpson-Pusey is someone who has been asked to train with Guardiola’s first team and has now started trying out the John Stones role in a number of recent matches. He also doubled as a defensive midfielder as City looked to broaden the 18-year-old’s horizons.

“It becomes second nature,” he added. “Growing up, I watched Sergio Ramos because I liked his aggression. I have been watching Ruben Dias, he is such a good leader and is aggressive on and off the ball and Stones because of the way he plays.

‘With the Youth Cup final you are remembered in a way because it is such a big tournament in England. It is inspiring to see all the previous City players playing first-team football.”

Haaland stares at heroes from ’99

A new Prime Video docu-series about the ’99 Treble will premiere on United on Thursday evening on Printworks. Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke are among those expected to attend, but will receive a friendly reminder of City’s own Treble triumph last season on arrival.

Above the entrance to Printworks hangs a huge billboard of Erling Haaland, an advertisement for the mobile game Clash of Clans. “He stole your trophies,” is the slogan.

Its placement there is probably a coincidence.

No votes? Because it’s all so normal for a top scorer

Phil Foden was the deserving recipient of the Football Writers’ Association Men’s Player of the Year last week after a wonderful season. City fared well in the trophies, with Rodri third, just behind Arsenal’s Declan Rice.

But there was one interesting detail that emerged from the voting process: Haaland – top scorer and almost certain to win consecutive Golden Boots – did not receive a single nomination.

And that brought up a few thoughts. Firstly, scoring 20 or more Premier League goals in a season is now considered par for the course for Haaland. An expected abundance from someone who can claim to be the best striker in the world. That just shows how good he is.

There was also the element that if you were to vote for a City star, the aforementioned midfielders have both played out of their skin.

But while researching a piece on Haaland and Roy Keane this week, a source came up with a theory about the FWA vote – and the broader, overall view of the 23-year-old. They believed that Keane is a pundit who contributes to the narrative that Haaland is just a goalscorer – and there is a suggestion that subconsciously creeps into people’s minds when they talk about him.

“It is now a common narrative that Erling needs to score goals to justify his place,” the source said. ‘His best game last season was against Arsenal, the title decider. He didn’t score until the last second and his hold-up play killed them.”

Haaland, meanwhile, is said to have spent part of his three days off at home in Bryne as Keane’s latest comments, calling him a ‘spoiled brat’ at the weekend, made the rounds.

Legend on the field, legend in the stands

David Silva was not the only one who received a warm welcome at the Etihad last Saturday. The 38-year-old, back in action for the first time since leaving the club during the pandemic, was presented with a lifetime season ticket by chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the training ground on a day when his genius was commemorated. Some of Guardiola’s players seemed genuinely shocked to see the old master when they arrived for work.

And someone who effectively bought a lifetime ticket in the 1950s was honored for her support of the Premier League champions.

Inez McKee went to Maine Road in 1951 and has bought a season ticket for each of the past 72 years.

City invited the former teacher to the Tunnel Club, and she was presented with a framed shirt from Mike Summerbee. West Ham’s last match as a season ticket holder will be next Sunday.

“It breaks her heart that she has to give up her season ticket, but now finds it more difficult to go to games,” said McKee’s son David.