The only options for these players were to rot away in the reserve team or to find a temporary club to call home: a loan spell in an unfamiliar tactical system, a new country, and a dent to their reputation. Manchester City needed some sort of outlet to coax these players into high-level first team football. Sending them off to France for a year or watching them bide time at the City Academy wasn’t cutting it. Luckily for City, a partnership with an unassuming, historically defiant European club began to take place. Manchester City first announced a partnership with NAC Breda in April of 2016 as a way to provide youth players a chance to gain experience in a professional setting. #Meaning of superbia in proelia professional After the announcement of the partnership, Simon Bajkowski offered an explanation as to why City felt it necessary to send upwards of four players to the Dutch club each season. “The failure to bring through any talent in the last year has created a bottleneck in the academy,” penned Simon, “and that will be exacerbated by the new plans for the age groups.” To this point, NAC have operated successfully as an outlet for young City players. There are very few doubts that City’s decision to bind themselves to a Dutch club wasn’t in any way influenced by Premier League rivals, Chelsea. The London club’s partnership with Vitesse has made headlines for its shadiness and ineffectiveness, but Sheikh Mansour clearly felt that a sporting relationship across the English channel would pay off in the future. Young Turkish striker Enes Ünal joined NAC on loan in 2016, before the partnership’s official commencement. Despite joining in January, Ünal managed to tally 11 goal contributions in only 14 appearances, with nine goals to his name. The second division of Dutch football clearly helped the young forward grow in confidence. Already possessing talent to finish his shots from acute angles, the space granted to him by poor defending made it easier to score goals from everywhere in the box. The successful trip in the Eerste Divisie convinced the City decision-makers, presumably led by Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, that this whole Dutch loan system wasn’t such a bad idea. The partnership was confirmed between the two clubs for the next season, guaranteeing a constant flow of academy talent from Manchester to Breda. #Meaning of superbia in proelia professional.
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