Mubama ready to take next step

Manchester City striker Divin Mubama will not be part of the club's Premier League 2 squad next season but it is not clear whether he will be sent out on loan or granted a permanent move.

The jewel in West Ham's FA Youth Cup-winning team in 2023, 20-year-old Mubama joined City the following year after his contract expired at the London Stadium.

Mubama made two senior appearances for City this season - adding to his 18 under David Moyes at West Ham - and scored against League Two Salford in the FA Cup third round in January.

However, he has spent most of the campaign in PL2 and took his tally in the end of season play-offs to five with two second half efforts in Friday's semi-final win over Manchester United.

City's Elite Development Squad head coach Ben Wilkinson knows Mubama will not be around next term. But he is also aware the next steps for any young striker are hazardous.

"We've got players in our team we'd expect not to see next year because they're ready to make that step and he's probably one of them," said Wilkinson.

"It's trying to help with that next step and guide them in the right direction.

"We've had it the last three, four, five years with some real high potential players from the 18s and 21s and now they're playing on our TV screens every other week.

"The problem is it has been notoriously hard for young strikers to go out on loan and succeed in the Championship or League One. You used to have someone next to you and now you're a 19, 20-year-old number nine up against two big centre halves and the service might not be great."

Wilkinson cites the example of Liam Delap, who had patchy loan spells at Stoke and Preston around the same age Mubama is now, before going to Hull last season, where he scored eight times in 32 appearances.

That persuaded Ipswich to take a chance by signing him permanently in a £20m deal last August, since when Delap has gone on to become one of the most coveted young strikers in the Premier League.

Wilkinson added: "Liam was outstanding at this level, then had two or three loans and his numbers weren't outstanding.

"Now he has grown into his body and has been outstanding in the Premier League this year.

"Often the first move isn't as successful as you'd like it to be but that is a good thing because here they live in this bubble of academy football where we are successful and have a lot of the ball - Divin tonight had four good chances to score but will he get that in a Championship game? It's a tough one."