Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has no doubt benefitted from the club's star-studded academy ranks during his time at the Etihad thus far, with recent years, in particular, having seen the emergence of a handful of exciting youngsters into the first team.

For all the talk regarding the champions' spending habits – having notably splashed out £100m on Jack Grealish back in 2021 – City have also looked to the youth set-up to bolster their ranks of late, with the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Rico Lewis having all made the successful transition into the senior squad.

The latter man has been the latest academy product to truly flourish under Guardiola's watch, with the versatile teenager – who has been branded "contagious" by the former Barcelona boss due to his boundless energy – having already made 18 appearances for the Cityzens to date.

The onus will now be to churn out yet another star of the future who can also make a strong impression on the first team, with 16-year-old, Joel Ndala, seemingly one such talent who is generating a lot of buzz at present.

Who is Joel Ndala?

The "highly impressive" youngster – as hailed by journalist Ian Cheeseman – has been in explosive form at youth level so far this term, having contributed a standout tally of 15 goals and eight assists in just 29 games across all competitions.

While yet to enjoy a taste of senior action, the former Port Vale asset has flourished as a real shining light in the academy ranks, notably scoring 12 goals and laying on six assists in just 17 Premier League games at U18 level.

That standout form has already earned the England U18 international a place in City's U21 squad on occasion so far this season, while he has also begun to attract attention from afar, after being included in The Guardian's Next Generation list for 2022, placing him alongside the top 20 young talents in the Premier League.

As a fleet-footed winger who typically operates off the left flank, there are seemingly obvious comparisons to be made with Ndala and former City youth product, Jadon Sancho, with the current Manchester United man having also begun life at the Etihad, scoring 15 goals and providing six assists in 22 games for the club's U18 side.

While Sancho is currently struggling to perform at Old Trafford – where has scored just ten times and provided four assists in 63 games across all fronts – the 23-year-old previously thrived at Borussia Dortmund after leaving City in 2017, going on to register 114 goal involvements in only 137 games for the Bundesliga side.

That stellar form for the German giants earned notable praise from pundit Rio Ferdinand, who stated back in 2018: "He’s got everything. He’s got skill, pace, tenacity, desire, commitment, he gets goals."

That glowing assessment is undoubtedly similar to what has been said with regard to Ndala's sparkling talent, with journalist Jamie Jackson writing that the teen dynamo has 'balance, poise, close control and [a] penchant for goal-breaking bursts'.

Although Guardiola and co never got to see Sancho at first-team level after allowing the winger to depart for a £10m fee just under six years ago, the Spaniard could well have found his next precocious talent in the form of Ndala.

Unlike in the case of the current Man United man, City must certainly try and keep hold of the exciting talent this time around.