Ahead of this weekend's Manchester Derby, Manchester Evening News held a Q&A with fans about Manchester City's team selection, use of young players, and transfer-related issues. The discussion covered Álvarez and McAtee's playing opportunities, Enzo Fernández's role in the team, and addressed rumours about Claudio Echeverri's loan move to Benfica.

Why hasn't Álvarez played yet?

First, I should apologise to my editors. Normally I select these questions myself, but this week they chose them for me — without naming the questioners, so I can't respond directly to anyone.

That said, given City's current form, these questions do raise some concerns. But let's address them anyway.

Álvarez hasn't played because he's not yet ready. He picked up a minor injury after joining the club, so the team wasn't willing to risk him against Coventry. Savinho has continued as a winger in every match, just as in previous games. Ndiaye made his debut and has been in good physical condition — he trained and played with Everton in the same league, making him a natural choice.

The next fixture is an away trip to Porto, one of City's toughest Champions League away matches this season. So it's not surprising that even if Álvarez were ready for selection, Maresca wanted immediate results and chose not to use him. I don't expect Álvarez to play in the Manchester Derby, but he could feature in the League Cup match against Norwich.

The transfer fee doesn't tell the whole story, but what Manchester City paid for Álvarez should help everyone understand how much playing time he might receive this season. He's a young player who has just moved from another continent with limited experience. De Bruyne, Savinho, and Ndiaye are all far more established, while Phil Foden and Ryan Charkhi are considerably more senior.

So Álvarez will initially be a rotation option. To push established players out of the starting lineup and secure regular starts, he'll need to perform exceptionally well.

Why haven't young players like McAtee had a chance?

Nearly everything I said about Álvarez applies to Ryan McAtee as well. The only difference is that McAtee is an 18-year-old academy graduate, whereas Álvarez is a slightly older prospect from Brazil. But McAtee has had genuine opportunities — he played against Crystal Palace and performed well, then came on as a substitute late in the Coventry match.

If getting playing time in two of City's first three Premier League matches this season doesn't count as an opportunity, then I'd simply say everyone's standards are too high. At minimum, by the standards Guardiola has historically used for developing young players, this is generous.

Both McAtee and Akanji have featured in the league, which is an excellent sign. You'd expect them to get more opportunities when they face Norwich.

Has Maresca tried to prevent opponents from overrunning our midfield easily?

I think because Maresca wants the team to play with high intensity and an attacking focus, Manchester City may be vulnerable to being breached down the middle throughout the season. However, there's confidence among the squad that as these new players gradually adapt to their positions and roles, the team will become more compact overall.

We don't yet know what the best midfield combination looks like. I think different matches should call for different options.

If Búa, Elliott-Anderson, and Enzo Fernández all start, then Ryan Charkhi and Phil Foden essentially won't play — and that can't happen consistently. Maresca has introduced a new pressing system across the whole team, and they're still getting to grips with it. Simultaneously, he's implemented a specific system for how defenders build from the back.

We'll have to wait and see whether these adjustments will eventually make Manchester City more compact, or at least more compact than they are now.

That said, this is City's first transition in a decade under a new manager, and there are more young players in the squad now. The new era is only four games in, so it's hardly surprising that not every aspect of the team is yet functioning perfectly.

What role will Enzo Fernández play? Will his arrival harm Charkhi or Foden? Is it possible we'll see Anderson, Enzo Fernández, and Charkhi all start together?

I think if Charkhi and Foden felt their playing time was under threat, Enzo Fernández's arrival could certainly hurt them. However, it appears Enzo Fernández will play in a more advanced position rather than as a number 6. When Maresca spoke about him on Friday, he focused on the goals and assists he could contribute.

His arrival certainly adds competition in those positions for Manchester City and visibly strengthens the squad's depth.

Anderson, Enzo Fernández, and Charkhi will start together in at least one match. But remember, Búa and Foden also need to be in the squad. Every position remains open, so players must perform to keep their places.

Búa, who recently joined the club, has already spoken about feeling this competition. What matters is whether players develop their performances when facing such competition, or react negatively. Guardiola has leveraged this competition very effectively for many years.

Is Savinho genuinely helping the team?

Of course he is. Come on — are we really talking about someone who helped create the team's opening goal in two consecutive league matches?

So in two of City's three league matches this season, he helped set up the opening goal, right?

That's 67% of league matches this season, to be precise. And now someone's asking if he's genuinely helping the team?

I don't really understand the question, to be honest. Yes, he could do more. His performance against Porto in midweek was genuinely poor. But he has a gift for creating goals, and by actual goals and assists statistics, his output has been excellent.

Moreover, he's now one of the more experienced players in the squad. Since joining in January, he's stepped up and taken responsibility quickly. He's also one of the few current Manchester City players who can say they've scored at Old Trafford.

I've seen reports that Manchester City has loaned Claudio Echeverri to Benfica with City covering his full wages and including an optional purchase clause for Benfica. Is this true? Does City really want to get rid of him?

Don't believe everything you read. That said, you can believe everything written in these Q&As — except for the period before the transfer window closed, when I was badly wrong.

But I'll give this anonymous reader credit: when I checked this question with someone from Manchester City's recruitment team, they definitely had a laugh. Manchester City typically isn't the sort of club that covers a player's full wages just to loan him out.

However, since I haven't seen the original report and didn't want to comment without knowing the full situation, I checked specifically. I can now tell you confidently that this claim is far from the truth.

As for the optional purchase clause, it doesn't tell much by itself, because whether or not a purchase actually happens ultimately requires approval from all parties involved. But one thing I can say is that Claudio Echeverri's market value has dropped significantly compared to last season.

Last summer, the club received many offers for him, but he didn't follow Manchester City's recommendation and chose to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan — which turned out to be largely unsuccessful. In the second half of the season, he moved to Girona, but things didn't improve much. He also underperformed during pre-season. So the loan move to Benfica is a good opportunity, but for this Argentine player, he can't afford to disappear from view again or fail to secure consistent playing time.

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