Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca has hailed Ryan McAidoo after the teenager caught the eye in the clubs pre-season opener against Inter Milan. McAidoo, 18, made a lively impact from the bench during Saturdays 1-1 draw in Hong Kong, repeatedly troubling the Inter defence before City were beaten on penalties.The academy graduate, who operates on the right wing, twice went close to finding a late winner and earned praise from Maresca after the match.We were speaking with the club and since day one I said he is the kind of winger I love, Maresca said.He is very aggressive one-v-one, he always tries, makes the right decisions. But he is very young and he needs the right path.If you look at the last clubs I was part of, I always asked for those kinds of wingers.You have to follow the right process, but then you need players out wide who can beat defenders one-v-one.Antoine [Semenyo], Savinho and Ryan were very good. We need to add more solutions for them and they will be better.McAidoo leads impressive academy outingMcAidoo made his senior debut for City in last seasons FA Cup win over Exeter City before playing a key role in the clubs FA Youth Cup triumph.He was one of seven academy graduates to feature against Inter, with several more included in Citys squad for their three-match Asia tour.Maresca said no decisions have yet been made over whether the clubs young players will remain with the first team this season or head out on loan.At the moment, with most of the young players, the idea was to see them during pre-season and then decide, he said.We started 10 days ago and Ryan is working well. We are going to take the right decision. I am always very open with young players.At Leicester, it was a record number of debuts from the academy and at Chelsea it was also a record number of debuts from the academy. Topics Enzo Maresca Manchester City F.C. Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Manchester City 1-1 Inter Milan: Report, result and goals as Marescas first game ends with shootout defeat Mitch Fretton 1st August, 2026 Man City away kit 2026/27: Full details on new shirt and strip Ben Miller 1st August, 2026 Manchester City v Inter Milan: Expected line-ups, stats and where to watch as Maresca starts reign in Hong Kong Jon Fisher 1st August, 2026 Manchester City vs Inter Milan: Line-ups confirmed for clash in Hong Kong Mitch Fretton 1st August, 2026 City boss Maresca dismisses reports of Real Madrid move for Rodri as speculation and insists Spain skipper will return to Manchester Jon Fisher 31st July, 2026 BREAKING: Real Madrid in talks with Manchester City over signing of Rodri Jon Fisher 29th July, 2026
