Italy legend says Manchester City decision on academy star in 2020 will come back to haunt them | OneFootball

Former Italy goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano has questioned Manchester City officials’ decision to release former academy goalkeeper Pierce Charles in 2020.

Manchester City overhauled their goalkeeping department this summer with the acquisitions of Marcus Bettinelli, James Trafford and James Trafford from Chelsea, Burnley and Paris Saint-Germain after a substandard 2024-25 season.

Long-serving first choice goalkeeper Ederson began the season on the bench for Manchester City as the 31-year-old Brazilian awaited a resolution on his future, having failed to engineer a transfer to Saudi Arabia in 2023.

Ederson was allowed to leave Manchester City and join Galatasaray for £12.1 million on the final day of the sumer transfer window, with City subsequently putting the final touches to their deal with PSG for Donnarumma.

Trafford was brought back to the Etihad Stadium in July whilst there remained uncertainty over Ederson’s future and that of Stefan Ortega Moreno, who attracted interest from clubs in the Premier League and Bundesliga over the course of the window.

Ortega Moreno was told he was free to leave Manchester City upon the £27 million arrival of Trafford to his boyhood club, with the 32-year-old German deciding to stay put despite his desire of leaving in pursuit of regular first-team opportunities.

City faced a difficult season in net last term as Ederson lost form in the spring and Ortega Moreno was brought into the starting XI, with Hugo Viana addressing the position in the summer following his appointment as director of football.

The marquee addition of Donnarumma on deadline day has brought a huge sigh of relief to Manchester City fans, who have been impressed by the Italy international’s early performances in tricky fixtures against Manchester United, Napoli and Arsenal.

Speaking in an interview with Italy’s TV Play, former Italy goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano has reminded Manchester City officials that their decision to release former academy goalkeeper Pierce Charles when he was 16 could come back to haunt them in the future.

Charles, 20, was not given a scholarship by Manchester City when he was 16 and the Northern Ireland goalkeeper went on to join Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer. Charles has two years remaining on his current deal at Hillsborough and has a bright future ahead of him, according to Viviano.

Viviano has hailed Charles as the “perfect goalkeeper for modern football” in a subtle dig at Manchester City to allow one of their brightest young talents to leave the City Football Academy (CFA), with Charles going from strength to strength in south Yorkshire since his departure from the north-west.

Manchester City have, in all fairness, made some controversial sales from their academy in recent seasons that have sparked frustration amongst the club’s local fanbase, who want to see more of their own follow the likes of Phil Foden, Rico Lewis, Nico O’Reilly and Oscar Bobb make the cut in Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad.