Marc Cucurella could be on his way from Brighton & Hove Albion this summer and should be first-choice at left-back this season if signed, but Josh Wilson-Esbrand could also have a bright future at Manchester City after impressing Pep Guardiola in pre-season.
The 19-year-old played for 45 minutes in City’s 2-1 win over Club America on July 21 and played for 81 minutes in theor 1-0 win over Bayern Munich on July 23, resulting in Guardiola singling him out in a post-match interview.
He said of the young left-back: “We believe he has the potential. He’s aggressive to win duels, and with the ball (he is) so clever. He is a good 1 v 1 defender and doesn’t feel the pressure with the ball. He (had) a really good game. If we can control his injuries, we will have a full back for many years.”
Wilson-Esbrand joined City from West Ham United in 2019 and has gone on to make 16 appearances for the U18s, four appearances for the U19s, 20 appearances for the U23s and one appearance for the first-team. The England U20 international is contracted at the Etihad Stadium until 2027, so it’s clear the club have high hopes for him.
Guardiola is short of options at left-back after Benjamin Mendy was suspended following allegations of sex crimes while Oleksander Zinchenko was surprisingly sold to Arsenal, so Wilson-Esbrand could be a solid backup option for Cucurella based on what he’s shown in pre-season.
Is he good enough to make the permanent step up to the first-team, however?