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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Liam Corless

Pep Guardiola confirms Man City youngster has been promoted to first-team squad

Pep Guardiola has confirmed young defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis has been promoted to Manchester City's first-team squad after injuries to Aymeric Laporte and John Stones.

Harwood-Bellis went on City's pre-season tour of Asia and played three times, including the full 90 minutes of the 4-1 victory over West Ham in Nianjing.

The 17-year-old has been training with the first team since the beginning of the season and, speaking after City's 8-0 win over Watford on Saturday, Guardiola said that will continue to be the case going forward.

“From now on, he will train with us,” Guardiola said. “Whether he will play or not, we’ll see.

“The guys from the academy spoke really well about him before pre-season.

“I saw in pre-season. He is aggressive, he wins duels, he pays attention."

Laporte is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a serious knee injury during last month's win over Brighton.

Stones, meanwhile, is set to be out until mid-October with a thigh problem.

Fernandinho partnered Nicolas Otamendi in the centre of City's defence against Watford.

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