The Manchester City masterplan is working beautifully … and promises to do so for the next five years, at least.
The Blues have been honed to near-perfection by Pep Guardiola, developing a first team squad which has won back-to-back Premier League titles and cleaned up all three major English trophies last season.
But it is when you look at the back-up, at the way the City Football Academy is now pushing forward young players to become the next generation, that the picture becomes truly impressive.
Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi were the senior centre back pairing during the Manuel Pellegrini era, and spilling over into Guardiola’s reign.
But football director Txiki Begiristain moved to ensure that City have Aymeric Laporte and John Stones picking up the banner as Kompany leaves and Otamendi ponders his own future.
That pair began last season as first choices, and while Kompany and Otamendi played important parts, it was that pair who played the bulk of the games.
Both are 25 years old and approaching the peak years for a centre back and with City still seeking another centre back this summer, they are set fair for the foreseeable future.
What has become evident is that the Blues also have another generation of centre backs making their way through.
Eric Garcia made the breakthrough last summer.
His displays on the US tour, as a 17-year-old defender, were refreshing – his defensive nous, positioning and commitment to the cause were exceptional, and earned him a vault into the first team reckoning.
The Barcelona academy graduate made his debut in the Carabao Cup game at Leicester last season.
In the under-23s and FA Youth Cup teams, he was paired with , 16 at the start of the season but boosted into the higher age groups through injuries.
That pair (pictured top celebrating Garcia's Youth Cup goal at Bournemouth) looked the part from the off, Harwood-Bellis six ft two ins and aerially dominant, but schooled in City’s passing game from an early age, and Garcia the smaller, slightly sharper sidekick.
Harwood-Bellis has already got off to a flyer on this summer tour, being the only player to whom Guardiola gave a full 90 minutes in the 4-1 win over West Ham on Wednesday.
He paired with Laporte in the first half, and Stones in the second, and did not look out of place.
Obviously, young players face many hazards between the breakthrough point in their careers and making it in the first team – we have seen it already with Tosin Adarabioyo, Karim Rekik and Jason Denayer.
But if these two can keep it together, listen and keep developing – now they have the chance to work with Guardiola, in two or three years they will be pushing Laporte and Stones.
The process is most evident in the centre back positions, but is also evident elsewhere, with Bernardo Silva set to replace David Silva, and Phil Foden – due to his exceptional talent – already accelerated in his development in terms of pushing Bernardo and Kevin De Bruyne.
With Aro Muric in line behind Ederson, Gabriel Jesus challenging Sergio Aguero and now Rodri competing with Fernandinho, the process is smooth and effective.
