Heskey brothers make Man City debuts: ‘Their parents will be proud’ | OneFootball

Reigan and Jaden Heskey, the sons of former England and striker Emile Heskey, both made their first-team debuts for Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s side progressed past Huddersfield Town in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Jaden, 19, was the first to make his debut when he replaced Nico O’Reilly in the 76th minute, by which point City were ahead by two goals after strikes from Phil Foden and Savinho. Reigan, 17, then made his debut around six minutes later.

Both brothers came through City’s academy system, with Jaden often captaining City’s Premier League 2 side. Their father, Emile, played 62 times for England, scoring seven goals, in a 20-year career that included spells at Liverpool and Aston Villa.

Reigan and Jaden Heskey made their Man City debuts against Huddersfield (Getty Images)

Heskey told The Mail in August that his sons have a similar playing style to their dad. He said: “They are both very athletic. The young one is very quick. The older one is a bit of a beast like I was. They've both got similar attributes."

City boss Guardiola said it was “really cool” to give the brothers their debuts on the same night. “Today, six players from the academy made the starting XI. Two more came on, the Heskey brothers. I think their father and mother will be so proud of their kids.”

Guardiola also praised Phil Foden after another stand-out display in his side's 2-0 Carabao Cup win. Foden has returned to somewhere near his best after last season's struggles and he set City on their way with a neatly-taken first-half opener.

When asked if Foden was happiest in a more central role, Guardiola said: "Absolutely. Close to the box I think he plays in the pockets perfectly. When he plays a little bit free and close to the box, he can do something that is unique, we know that.

"When Phil plays in that position behind the strikers, he's a real threat. We've seen already with Phil (these last) few games. When the team play better, when every player makes his potential... but it's not just today.

"The game against Arsenal, (Manchester) United, Napoli, he was really good."

Guardiola made nine changes following Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw at Arsenal, with only Foden and O'Reilly retaining their places in the starting line-up.