Ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby, the Manchester Evening News held a Q&A session with fans about Manchester City's team selection, the use of young players, and transfer-related questions. The discussion covered playing opportunities for Allan and McAdoo, Enzo's role in the team, and also addressed rumours concerning Echeverri's loan to Benfica.

Why hasn't Allan played yet?

First, I must apologise on behalf of my editors. Normally, I select these questions myself, but this week they chose them "thoughtfully" for me without providing the names of those asking, so I cannot address anyone directly.

Given Manchester City's current start to the season, all these questions do seem rather pessimistic. But let me answer them anyway.

Allan hasn't played yet because he's not ready. He had a minor issue after his arrival, so the team didn't risk playing him against Coventry. Semenyo continued as a winger, as he has in every match so far, while Ndiaye made his debut. Ndiaye was in good physical condition, had trained and played with Everton in the same league, so it was a natural choice to use him.

Then came the away match against Porto, one of Manchester City's toughest away games in the Champions League this season. So it's unsurprising that, although Allan was available for selection, Maresca needed an immediate result and chose not to use him. I don't think Allan will play in the Manchester derby, but we could see him in the League Cup against Norwich.

Transfer fees don't tell the whole story, but the fee Manchester City paid for Allan gives a more reasonable indication of the playing time he might get this season. He's a young player who just arrived from another continent with limited experience. Doku, Semenyo and Ndiaye are all considerably ahead of him, and Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki are far more established.

So Allan will start as a rotation player. If he wants to push some of these players out of the starting eleven and consistently earn a place in the team, he'll need to deliver exceptional performances.

Why don't young players like McAdoo get opportunities?

Nearly everything said about Allan applies to Ryan McAdoo as well. The only difference is that McAdoo is an 18-year-old academy product, while Allan is a slightly older young player from Brazil. And McAdoo has actually had opportunities. He played against Crystal Palace and performed well, then came on as a substitute in the closing stages against Coventry.

If playing time in two of the first three Premier League matches this season doesn't count as an opportunity, then I can only say expectations are unreasonably high. At least, judging by Guardiola's previous approach to using young players, that certainly isn't the case.

Both McAdoo and Braithwaite have now had league playing time, which is a very positive sign. You can also expect them to be more involved in the Norwich match.

Has Maresca tried to do something to prevent opponents from easily playing through our midfield?

I think that because Maresca wants the team to play very proactively and places heavy emphasis on attack, Manchester City could be vulnerable to opponents exploiting space behind them throughout the season. However, there's a belief within the first team that as these new players gradually adapt to their positions and roles, the team as a whole will become more compact.

We still don't know what the best midfield combination is. I think different matches will require different choices.

Because if Buadi, Elliott-Anderson and Enzo all play together, then Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden would barely feature, and that obviously can't happen all the time. Maresca has introduced a new pressing system for the entire team, and they're still adapting to it. At the same time, he's also implemented a specific system for how defenders build play from the back.

It remains to be seen whether these adjustments will ultimately make Manchester City more compact, or at least more compact than they currently are.

But again, this is Manchester City's first time entering a new phase under a different manager in ten years, and there are now more young players in the squad. The new phase has only just begun with four matches, so it's hardly surprising that every aspect of the team isn't yet running perfectly.

What role will Enzo play in the team? Will his arrival negatively impact Cherki or Foden? Is it possible to see Anderson, Enzo and Cherki start together?

I suppose if Cherki and Foden feel they no longer need to play because their playing time is threatened, then Enzo's arrival could certainly have a negative impact on them. However, as it stands, Enzo seems more likely to play further forward rather than as a number 6. When Maresca spoke about him on Friday, he emphasised the goals and assists he could contribute.

But his arrival certainly increases competition for these positions at Manchester City and significantly deepens the squad.

Anderson, Enzo and Cherki will certainly start together in at least one match, but remember that Buadi and Foden also need to be accommodated. All positions are still up for grabs, so players must perform to keep their place.

Buadi has just arrived and has already spoken about this sense of competition. The key is whether players will raise their game in response to such competition, or react negatively. Guardiola used this competition very effectively for many years.

Is Semenyo really helping the team?

Of course he is, come on. Are we talking about the player who provided the assist for the team's opening goal in two consecutive league matches?

So in two of the three league matches this season, he helped create the team's opening goal, didn't he?

In other words, that's 67% of league matches this season. And now someone is asking whether he's really helping the team?

I really don't understand this question. Of course, he can do more. His performance against Porto midweek was indeed very poor. But he has the ability to create goals, and judging by his actual record of goals and assists, his output is first-class.

Moreover, he's now one of the most experienced players in the team. Since arriving in January, he quickly took on responsibility. And he's one of the few players in this Manchester City squad who can say they've scored at Old Trafford.

I've seen reports that Manchester City loaned Echeverri to Benfica, with Manchester City covering his full salary and including a purchase option for Benfica. Is this true? Is Manchester City really that desperate to get rid of him?

Don't believe everything you read. However, you can believe everything written in these Q&A sessions. Except, of course, the one before the transfer window closed — I was so wrong that time.

But I must still compliment this anonymous reader. When I checked this claim with someone from Manchester City's recruitment team, you made them laugh. Manchester City generally isn't the kind of club that would cover a player's full salary just to loan him out.

However, since I hadn't seen the original report and didn't want to comment without understanding the situation, I specifically went to verify it. I can now tell you with confidence that this claim is very far from the truth.

As for the supposed purchase option, it doesn't mean much in itself, since exercising the option would still require agreement from all parties involved. But one thing I can say is that Echeverri's market value has indeed dropped significantly compared to last season.

Last summer, the club received many offers for him, but he didn't follow Manchester City's advice and chose to join Leverkusen on loan, which proved to be a very unsuccessful experience. In the second half of the season, he went to Girona, but the situation wasn't much better. He also didn't perform particularly well during pre-season. So a loan to Benfica could be a good move, but for this Argentine player, he cannot afford to stagnate there again, nor can he afford to fail to get consistent playing time.

Traduit par IA.

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