Manchester City youngster Charlie Gray has overcome remarkable odds from joining the club at 8 to make his senior debut under Pep Guardiola

06:00, 04 Feb 2026

As Charlie Gray came on to make his Manchester City debut, he became the latest to overcome astronomical odds in the game. Phil Foden, Nico O’Reilly and Rico Lewis may have given the impression it was easy but it is difficult enough to make a top academy such as City’s as an Under-9, never mind progress through every age group and make the senior team.

It’s hard to think of many journeys tougher than what 19-year-old Gray has had to battle through either. It is testament to the qualities the teenager has that City kept faith with him after a fractured spine and fractured shins and had the patience to let him find his game again.

“From the end of 15s to the start of 16s I had a fractured spine, and then I had fractured shins coming back from it so I was nearly out for two years,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “Coming back from that was a tough thing. I got my scholarship on the back of not playing for two years, so I wasn’t even expecting a scholarship and a pro. I was grateful to even get that at that point.

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“Coming back is always difficult, not playing for two years and then building back into training and getting put into matches, you’re never going to be back at your sharpest but it’s just building from there. It obviously happens where I’ve had some other injuries along the way. Not as long as the two-year one but I picked up one for a few months in the 18s season. I had an injury-free season last year, which really helped me. That’s a big reason why I was able to kick on.”

Step by step, Gray made his way back. He was fit enough at the end of the 2023/24 season to play every minute of the 4-0 win over Leeds in the FA Youth Cup final, and last year he was named EDS Players’ Player of the Season in an Under-21s side that won the league and play-offs.

That may not have been enough to propel him onto Pep Guardiola’s radar but it caught the eye of several clubs last summer and he was linked with a move to Sunderland as they looked to cover the loss of Jobe Bellingham. A move never came, but Guardiola made his after seeing the defensive midfielder star in a 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid in the UEFA Youth League in December.

Gray had been regularly training with the first team by then, and after impressing again on his return from Spain he got word from Guardiola that he would be in the squad for the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Brentford. His family all shipped in from Eccles just in case and, with 10 minutes to go in the game, the youngster found himself in the dugout with his manager waiting to come on.

“There was a little bit of instruction of course telling me what to do but again him just saying this is a great opportunity and to enjoy it. I feel like that did help. I didn’t go on the pitch too nervous. not knowing that I was coming on made me not overthink things and just play my game when I did come on,” he said.

“Getting the debut in the end was a dream come true. You get told that you’re in the squad the day before and just from that I was obviously over the moon just being on the bench. I was never expecting to come on but with 10 minutes left I got the call back and just a rush to get on the pitch.

“I had quite a few family there – probably seven or eight. With it being my first time on the bench, it was just in case for the what if so they were all buzzing for me. They’ve taken me to training since I was young, watched my game since Under-5s at Platt Lane so seeing that and then me playing at the Etihad was a proud moment for them as well.

“With the long injury I couldn’t really do anything at all so having people around me who I could speak to was the important thing. I was in school at the time so just having fun with my mates at school was the main thing that helped the days. It’s always important to have people around you no matter what the circumstance but especially then it was needed.

“I’ve had some tough injuries to get past but it’s part of football. It’s a few years ago so you almost forget it but looking back at it I took some big steps to overcome those things and it makes the debut even better.”

With his contract up in the summer, it remains to be seen how many more opportunities Gray will get under Guardiola, but his form this season will only add to the interest from other clubs. Until then, the midfielder has the chance of making more history with the academy as they look to go all the way in the UEFA Youth League for the first time.

A trip to Helsinki in the last-32 on Wednesday is tricky for a number of reasons. City went out to Alkmaar in the quarter-finals last year and have historically struggled playing away at national youth champions, but also their squad has been significantly impacted by the January transfer window.

Divine Mukasa, Justin Oboavwoduo and Stephen Mfuni all secured moves in the last week to weaken Ben Wilkinson’s team ahead of their knockout game. Mfuni and Mukasa are on loan in the Championship and those moves should benefit City in the longer term, but it is worth bearing in mind when assessing the club’s poor record in the Youth League.

Dealing with unavailable players is just one of the realities for anybody in any team, and there will be little sympathy for Gray and the rest of the City youngsters looking to make it to the last-16 in Finland this week.

“It’s important in these tournaments to get some momentum going. It gives the group some confidence to know when you go into games that you can win them, especially against such big teams like Leverkusen and Madrid. To win in the way we did with 6-0 and 4-0, we couldn’t have asked for much more,” said Gray.

“We don’t know a lot about their team, we haven’t played them before so it will be a different challenge but we’re all looking forward to it. Away games are always different for us, playing away from the Joie Stadium but we are all confident that we can go there and win.

“We’re used to winning at this club and in the Youth League that hasn’t quite happened yet. I played in it last year where we got beat in the quarter-finals but it was really close, we lost in the last minute from a game that we should have won. We felt last year like we could have gone on and won it but that just adds to the drive this season to want to win it even more. We’re all hoping we can do that.”