Man City announce new U21 coach as part of academy changes with Hertha Berlin man also lined up
Manchester City are promoting internally after the departure of their Under-21 coach, although there is still a vacancy to be filled
Ben Wilkinson will take charge of Manchester City Under-21s after Brian Barry-Murphy's departure from the academy.
Barry-Murphy joined the Blues in 2021 from Rochdale, where he had been first team manager and built an impressive reputation. Taking over a team that had won the Premier League 2 for the first time under Enzo Maresca, Barry-Murphy led the Under-21s to two more titles - mirroring the success of the first team - and also helped to develop players including James McAtee, Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia.
City Under-21s won just four games last season in a revised league system that the coach was critical of from the beginning, with a small squad struggling to match opponents across the year. After three seasons in charge, Barry-Murphy has left the club with Under-18s coach Wilkinson stepping up in his place.
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Wilkinson previously served as assistant coach at this age group to Paul Harsley, before working as the lead coach for the Under-16s and then the Under-18s where he took over from Carlos Vicens in 2021. Wilkinson won the league twice with the Under-18s and last season won the FA Youth Cup.
City are expected to appoint Hertha Berlin Under-19 coach Oliver Reiss as their new Under-18 boss, filling Wilkinson's position. Reiss knows City academy director Thomas Krucken and will be expected to join in Krucken's mission to create the future player for the modern game.
Having started a few months into last season, Krucken has bedded in at City and is now looking to move forward with his plans for the academy. Those including getting players in the foundation phase to play more sports as well as modernising the coaching methods to stay relevant with the new generation of youngsters coming through.