Kevin De Bruyne replacement has been identified as the 21-year-old winger has just sent a direct message to Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola

James McAtee, a defender for Manchester City, played very well for England Under-21s against Austria on Monday.

There is no guarantee that Kevin De Bruyne will stay at Manchester City. There was talk of a big pay day in Saudi Arabia for the 32-year-old player during the transfer window. His deal has less than a year left on it.

De Bruyne talked about his future after last Saturday’s 3-1 win over West Ham. He said that rumors that he might leave City have not “entertained” him. The Belgian player also said that he is “sure” that talks about a possible new deal will happen in the next few weeks.

Even though it looks like De Bruyne is set on staying at City, Pep Guardiola needs to make plans for life without the hero. In order to replace De Bruyne in the long run, City could sign a new No. 10 player, or they could look within the team, as James McAtee could fill the role.

McAtee had been a trade target all summer because he had spent the last two years on loan at Sheffield United. However, Guardiola wanted to keep him at the club. After McAtee did well on their pre-season tour of the United States, City’s manager made it clear that he wanted to keep him with the first team and give him chances to show what he could do this season.

They won the Community Shield, and McAtee played all 90 minutes and was one of the best players in their spot shootout win over Manchester United. This made him believe in them again. There has only been one Premier League game since then for the 21-year-old. He came off the bench in last month’s win over Ipswich.

During the international break, McAtee did get to play more minutes for England Under 21s. He started Friday’s 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland and was then put in the starting lineup for Monday night’s friendly against Austria at Luton’s Kenilworth Road.

It’s clear that McAtee did a great job for the young Lions. Like De Bruyne normally does, he played as the No. 10 and was right behind the striker. He showed what he can do.

England got a penalty in the first half because McAtee pressed from the front. Tyler Morton got the ball back before McAtee drove into the box and was subbed out. That gave Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa the chance to make it 1-0, and he kept his cool to score the first goal.

The game was tied before halftime, but England didn’t let that stop them at all. The young Lions looked good when they had the ball, even though their manager, Lee Carsley, wasn’t there because he was moved to senior interim manager. McAtee was the key to everything they did well. He was the link between the attack and the middle.

In the 49th minute, England took the lead again, and McAtee played a part in it. The City defender saw Rogers coming and pushed Samuel Iling Jr.’s pass into his path. Rogers then did the rest and put the ball in the bottom corner.