In Manchester City's official club magazine for September, McAtee gave an interview to the club's official media, discussing his expectations for the new season and reflecting on his first-team debut.

Looking back and looking ahead to the 2024-25 season, what do you hope the new season will be like?

"Obviously, I also need to contribute some numbers, work hard off the ball, and in short, become the kind of reliable player that the game is evolving into. Reliability is very important. For a player to have a successful career, reliability is as important as your performance on the pitch."

"Like Bernardo Silva, the key is to be reliable and technically good. That's why he's so successful. You know you can't be inconsistent. I'd rather have many games with a 7 out of 10 rating, some 8-rated games, and some 10-rated games, than a single 2-rated game."

"Just stay consistent. If you're a coach, I hope you'd think: 'I'm going to get this from McAtee every time, so I know what I'm getting.' That's my goal. When I was a child, I had no pressure. When you play football, you just smile, so why not do that now?"

"I'm thinking, just enjoy the game, because I feel that when I put too much pressure on myself, I start making mistakes. So I just need to play with a smile on my face, enjoy the game, and that's when I feel I can perform at my best."

Last season, you had many personal highlights. Your debut goal at the Etihad Stadium against Exeter City and the subsequent emotional celebration with your father in the stands left an unforgettable impression.

"I think I was shocked at first because I didn't expect to start, so when Guardiola told me I would start as a winger, I felt my heart rate naturally quicken. Then Guardiola asked me if I was ready to play, if I was ready to show my true self?"

"You know, the answer was obviously yes, it had to be yes, so I just tried to treat it like another U21 game, and thank God, the game went well, I scored, and after I got to the Etihad Stadium, I wasn't nervous at all."

"I remember being more nervous coming on as a substitute against Salford City than starting against Exeter City. But I feel like once I start a game, I get into the rhythm faster than when coming on as a substitute, so you have to adapt to that."

"I felt a sense of relief after scoring because I felt I was in good form. So I thought, this is just the icing on the cake—I was both happy and relieved. To share that moment with my dad and family, I can't put it into words, to be honest. I can only say it was truly unforgettable."

During the pre-season tour, you once again attracted attention with your outstanding talent and professionalism. After the team returned to Manchester, Maresca made it clear that he believes you are in a perfect environment to further improve and achieve greater development this season.

Maresca said: "I think the best thing for him is to stay with us, learn, be with the first team every day, try to be smart, try to be wise, and try to learn from Semenyo, Doku, and the players we have here at the moment."

"I said try to learn—not just learn how to dribble, but also learn the attitude, learn how to train hard. Because sometimes it's difficult; they might stop training because they think they are ready, but in fact they are not ready. So it's good for them to keep learning."

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