Nico O’Reilly makes admission on Pep Guardiola influence after England call-up | OneFootball

Manchester City sensation Nico O’Reilly has assessed Pep Guardiola’s positional demands of the academy graduate upon his first senior England call-up.

The 20-year-old has risen through the ranks at the City Football Academy (CFA) in the last nine months to firmly establish himself as a first-team regular under Pep Guardiola amid a period of transition on the pitch for his boyhood club.

O’Reilly was one of the few success stories for Manchester City in their underwhelming 2024-25 season, with the youngster coming to the rescue of the first-team several times since his integration into the senior squad in the spring.

A natural midfielder, O’Reilly has been learning his trade at left-back so far under Guardiola, who has given the Manchester-born star the platform to express himself and solidify his position in the starting XI of a revamped dressing room.

The most recent of a flurry of academy stars who have graduated to Manchester City’s senior ranks, O’Reilly has made a strong start to the season and was recently rewarded with a significant pay rise and long-term contract for his performances in the first-team.

A calm, composed and strong presence at left-back, O’Reilly is slowly making the left-back position his own as Manchester City await the return of summer signing Rayan Ait-Nouri from injury after the international break.

City have turned a corner after making a dreadful start to the 2025-26 season in August, underpinned by back-to-back defeats to Tottenham and Brighton in their opening trio of Premier League games.

The turning of an evolving ship at the Etihad Stadium has been led by a collective improvement from Guardiola’s squad as Manchester City look to forego their 2024-25 woes and mount a challenge for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles this term.

Fortune favours the brave and young O’Reilly’s start to the season keeps getting better, with the City academy graduate receiving his first senior England call-up this week after Reece James suffered an injury in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Liverpool at the weekend.

Speaking to talkSPORT on Guardiola’s positional demands, O’Reilly said: “I play wherever I’m told to! I grew up playing in midfield my whole life and then last year I got put to left-back.

“It was a bit of a change but I’m enjoying it. I’m quite open, wherever I’m playing I’m happy with as long as I’m playing!”

Ait-Nouri has a strong battle on his hands as the Algeria international eyes a return to action for Manchester City, who will find it difficult to reason with dropping O’Reilly to the bench with the form that the young Englishman is showing out of position.