£120m spent on a state-of-the-art campus, 16 emerald green pitches and a total of 160 construction jobs created - all developed with the intention of establishing Manchester City's youth academy as the fiercest and most accomplished in European football.
But could it all be for nothing?
Manchester City have long been criticised for their negligence of youth with Micah Richards emerging as the blues' only academy product to feature regularly in the first team in the last decade. Marcos Lopes, José Angel Pozo and Karim Rekik head the list of sky blue starlets tipped to make an impact on European football in the future, but an incessant influx of multi-million pound signings makes the likelihood of those players influencing Manchester City's first team regrettably unlikely.
(Marcos Lopes has played just twice for the Manchester City first team in his two years at the club)
Since Manchester City's illustrious take-over back in 2008, the blues have been brain-washed by a paralysing pressure to succeed. With every penny spent, more scrutiny and criticism will meet every instance in which Sheikh Mansour's big spenders fail to win. Expectations have soared to staggering heights, and Manchester City's academy prospects have suffered as a result.
Last August, City fans waved goodbye to their finest prodigy when Spanish midfielder Denis Suárez completed his move to Barcelona in a £1m deal. Citing a lack of first-team opportunities as his motive for departure, the 19 year-old slapped his old suitors in the face with a great big reality check. If City are to welcome original talent into their squad and escape the taunts of the opposition, promising youth prospects MUST be given a chance to shine with the seniors and one man in particular deserves that very chance.
Since joining Sven-Göran Eriksson's Manchester City from IF Brommapojkarna in 2008, John Guidetti is yet to make a league appearance for the first team. The troubling statistic would be more palatable if the Swede's shooting boots had deserted him season after season in his five years at the club, but they haven't, and whilst strikers like Jô, Roque Santa Cruz and Mario Balotelli have been squandering chances for the senior team, Guidetti has been putting them away for the Under 21's.
Record
Manchester City managers have frequently adjudged proven goalscoring records to be a sound indicator of which strikers to purchase in the transfer market, but with a record like Guidetti's, it's difficult not to question their opinions on the credibility of Manchester City's youth prospects. Guidetti's record of 49 goals in 67 appearances over the last three years doesn't suggest that the Scandinavian striker has any trouble in front of goal, despite the implications of Mark Hughes', Roberto Mancini's and Manuel Pellegrini's selection policies.
(Images via www.transfermarkt.co.uk)
Although Guidetti's record may be impressive, one season in particular catches the eye. Exciting young strikers often encounter obstacles when climbing the tremendous step from reserve league football to football in a competitive, first class European leagues, however, the Swede's loan move to Feyenoord in 2011 proved that Guidetti could compete with, and even surpass, some of the brightest stars of the Eredivisie in the Netherlands.
Feyenoord, 2011-2012
Feyenoord and Manchester City agreed a loan deal for the striker on the last day of the 2011 summer transfer window in what promised and proved to be the biggest opportunity the Swede ever took. A debut goal against NAC Breda lit up the eyes of 'Het Legioen' who had acquired a carnivorous looking young talent.
But the forward had more to offer. Back to back hat-tricks against Dutch giants FC Twente and Ajax in December and January earned him a hero status in Rotterdam with coach, and Dutch legend, Ronald Koeman describing him as 'phenomenal'. Yet another hat-trick against Vitesse in February made him the first Feyenoord player to score three hat-tricks in one season since Dirk Kuyt in 2004/2005. Not only was Guidetti taking the league by storm, he was also setting records in a division where Dennis Bergkamp, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Luis Suárez made their names.
The Eredivisie may not possess the might of leagues such as the Premier League and La Liga, but one could argue that scoring 20 league goals in a first season at any club is a remarkable feat. Aged just 20, John Guidetti had outperformed the debut seasons of some of the world's best strikers who had emerged from the Netherland's top division.
(Up there with the best: John Guidetti's impressive first season in the Eredivisie)
An incredible year in the Netherlands had written John Guidetti into the history books of one of Europe's best supported clubs, and he headed back to Manchester with the hope of breaking into Manchester City's 2011/2012 title winning side.
2012 onwards
John Guidetti's achievements abroad have been criminally overlooked by both Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini and a fantastic year in Rotterdam has almost been forgotten. Injury troubles have plagued the striker since returning from the Netherlands almost two years ago, but Captial One and FA Cup ties have been crying out for the spark of the exciting Manchester City youngster when he has been fit and available for selection.
The blues are reportedly desperate for the striker to gain some Premier League experience before risking him in their own fixtures, but sometimes, bravery can go a long way. Fortunately for the Swede, Mark Hughes' Stoke City are primed to make a loan bid this January in a quest to add to the disappointing 19 goals they have only managed to conjure up this season. However, many believe that, with some faith, John Guidetti should be making his mark on the league's finest goalscoring record.
