This week, Thomas Krücken, head of Manchester City's Academy, gave an exclusive interview to Manchester Evening News, discussing their plans and strategic approach.

Krücken stated: "We have a clear vision of the type of player we want to develop in the future. What qualities do future wingers need? What areas does McAtee need to improve to reach a higher level? He's shown great potential early on, but we're fine-tuning those final 5 to 10 per cent of details while preparing players to meet the demands of the future matches we anticipate."

"At the moment, our facilities have been consolidated, with a complete environment – including natural grass pitches available for use. We're beginning to introduce technological tools, including a 3x5x3 metre facility installed on Pitch 5, which is used by the EDS (Elite Development Squad). We're currently conducting tactical research at this facility, which is based on a collaboration we've developed in partnership with a Dutch institute – an exclusive collaboration."

"This is a joint development project. We're now starting to apply AI to the specific positioning data we collect, comparing the distances between our young players and first-team players. It's fascinating – for example, how big is the gap between McAtee and Doku? How can training time be utilised most effectively? Ultimately, we only have five or six training sessions per week, so the key is how we allocate that time efficiently."

"This isn't just about tactics on the pitch; for me, the talent development team is equally important. That final 5 per cent improvement I mentioned can't be achieved without our top Academy coaches. I believe we have an excellent coaching staff – probably the best in the industry. But for me, it's also about providing them opportunities to learn and develop."

"In this business, we need the ability to learn quickly, because market competition is fierce. Football matches are constantly evolving. To maintain our current standards and provide players to the first team, the Premier League, and even the Championship, we must think progressively. The work we're doing now must meet the future demands of players. It's truly inspiring to work with so many like-minded people who share a common vision."

"We have a tactical model and specific capability requirements for each position to create the attractive football we pursue. We've established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each position – for example, pass selection for centre-backs. We've identified six indicators, and AI can help us analyse players' current level and the areas where they need further support."

"We provide training data to our partner company, and we're currently in the testing phase. Both sides are refining these KPIs through joint development: they provide the AI technology, and we contribute our football expertise. The technology they possess is something I have no idea how to build. This collaboration is like a perfectly executed one-two pass."

"We're building this analytical framework position by position. Once everything is ready, we can show players visually exactly which gaps they need to fill. This really excites me. Additionally, the Individual Development Plan (IDP) will be linked to this system, allowing our coaching staff to use their time most effectively to deliver high-quality, tailored coaching to our players. I'm very grateful to the club and management for providing us with all the necessary support."

"The ambitious vision of 'developing a future Ballon d'Or winner' guides us in pursuing excellence in every aspect and learning from our failures. Because we can't get everything right, but we're willing to face our mistakes – and that's part of our culture: 'Either win the game or learn something' – Ferran Soriano always says that, and I think it's the right mentality and the development path we're following."

"I'm eager to implement these new solutions and use our data analytics dashboards. Players need intrinsic motivation so they understand, 'This is my current level, and I need to fill these gaps.' Players should take ownership of their development rather than us constantly telling them, 'You need to work more here, train harder there.' Players must recognise that these efforts are necessary to become a Manchester City first-team player, and I believe these concepts can help us achieve that. If not, we'll continue learning and generating new ideas."

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