Sport

Manchester City youngster Nico O’Reilly earns surprise England call-up

What a moment for the young man.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 6th October 2025

Manchester City youngster Nico O’Reilly has earned himself a surprise England call-up for this upcoming international break.

The impressive young utility player, who has been deployed as both a defender and a midfielder under Pep Guardiola, has proved to be a popular member of the squad among Man City fans.

A north Manchester-born academy product, O’Reilly has represented the Three Lions throughout various age groups across the youth level, but this England camp will be his first senior call-up.

Yet another local lad flying the flag for 0161 in the national team.

The 20-year-old arrived at St George’s Park on Monday afternoon along with a number of ther young English stars such as Myles Lewis-Skelly, Elliot Anderson, Jarrel Quansash, who have recently been integrated by national team boss, Thomas Tuchel.

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O’Reilly has been added to the squad following the withdrawal of fellow defender Reece James, with the Chelsea fullback having picked up yet another injury in the Premier League.

As detailed by England Football: “The Chelsea captain sustained an injury playing for his club over the weekend and has been ruled out of England’s October internationals following medical assessments.”

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With O’Reilly able to play not only in defence but on either flank, as he has already done in Guardiola’s ever-fluid system, the versatile Man City rotation player isn’t just looking more and more like a first-team star but could soon be a capped England international.

Looking forward to seeing more of this on the big stage:

As you can see, Pep has continued to deploy him in even the biggest of games, and it seems as though he’s clearly impressed Tuchel enough to make him first in the queue to replace James.

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Rightly so, we’d hasten to add; it remains to be seen whether or not he will feature in the two upcoming fixtures against Wales and Latvia.

Commenting on the moment of recognition, City expressed their pride and congratulations, insisting that the decision “also helps further cement what has been a quite magnificent start to the season for the 20-year-old” in which he’s already made nine first-team appearances across all competitions.

That now makes the number of Greater Manchester-born/based players in the current England squad to four (just one of those being from Man United in Barcelona loanee Marcus Rashford) – an admittedly smaller number than we’ve come to expect over the years.

Nico O’Reilly signed a fresh new deal at Manchester City just last month.

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Featured Images — Hameltion (via Wikimedia Commons)/England (via X)/Man City (via YouYube)

Sport

Less than a month to go until a blockbuster Manchester derby in the WSL at the Etihad Stadium

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Women's Derby WSL Etihad Stadium tickets

We’re just one month out until one of the best games on the football calendar: the Manchester derby in a Barclays Women’s Super League campaign that is shaping up to be one of the most tightly contested in some time, with multiple Lionesses and international stars on show.

Manchester City and Man United are both duking it out at the top of the table already, with the high-flying East Manchester club and last season’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup finalists both boasting plenty of reason to go into the game confident.

With Man City boasting not just the home advantage but the bonus of playing in front of a crowd at the Etihad Stadium, many are already expecting a blue moon to rise once again.

This season may have only just begun, but Man City Women have already shown plenty of promise and signs of early form. Barring an opening day blip against the champions, Andrée Jeglertz’s side have looked pretty prolific; Man United are right up there with them, meaning we’re bound for a good clash.

Netting well over a dozen goals – the most of any team in the league – the Cityzens will understandably feel on the offensive when they host the visitors on Saturday, 15 November.

The Etihad recently hosted the Lionesses themselves in a close-fought fixture against Brazil this past October, with City legend Georgia Stanway herself getting on the scoresheet.

Man United are right up there with them, though, meaning we’ve got a derby day that shouldn’t disappoint. Let’s be honest, it rarely does.

Don’t you just love it when two rivals go into a clash in strong spirits?

There’s also an added element of feistiness bubbling under the surface, as this is also the first meeting between the two clubs since Grace Clinton swapped the red half of Manchester for a sky blue shirt, with Jess Park going the other way.

Now both full England internationals are arguably fighting for the same position, too, you can expect the pair to get a rousing reception when they rock up/return to the Etihad.

The 22-year-old scored on her debut in City’s 5-1 win over Spurs.

All eyes will be on this WSL fixture, especially with members of the back-to-back Euros-winning Lionesses squad taking to the pitch on both sides.

Clinton, Park; Lauren Hemp, Ella Toone, as well as more international stars such as Viv Miedema and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw – there’s going to be so much talent on show.

Speaking to The Manc ahead of the match, first-team star and City vice-captain, Kerstin Casparij, gave us their thoughts on the historic and always hard-fought rivalry…

What does the Manchester derby mean to you?

The derby means more to me every year. It’s not just 3 important points, but also pride and bragging/banter rights. This year, I’d say it’s also about redemption for me, considering our home loss last season. 

Are there any standout memories of derby day that come to mind?

I think the away win at Old Trafford two years ago is a nice memory. Being booed for the full 90 minutes and coming away with a win feels extra satisfying.

It really is set up to be an unmissable meeting between the two heavyweights of the female football world, with a 1:30pm kick-off leaving plenty of time for added fanfare before and after either whistle.

Promising plenty of activities in and around the stadium, as well as the dedicated Man City Kids Fan Zone, a completely free event that runs for four hours before kick off on the indoor pitch of the City Football Academy, the ‘Blue Carpet’ experience, where you can see players arrive 90 minutes before the game and plenty more, there’s so much going on.

As well as fun games at half-time, live entertainment, not to mention a wide range of food and drink around the concourse, it’s going to be a great day out.

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Best of all, tickets are super affordable: general admission for adults starts from only £15 and £5 for under 16s. If you grab two adult passes and one U16 ticket, you can get any additional U16 tickets for just £1 each.

If you want to enjoy Hospitality at the Etihad Stadium, packages start from as little as £35. From the Sports Bar experience and the Tunnel Club, where you can see players getting read on the way to the dugout and pitch, or even a bottomless brunch before the game with your friends.

Whatever offer best suits you, fans can grab tickets right to see Manchester City Women, Man United, Lionesses stars and more right HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Manchester City

Sport

Tom Aspinall to undergo more eye tests after injury sees title defence fight end in no-contest

Danny Jones Danny Jones Tom Aspinall eye poke injury Ciryl Gane fight

Manc MMA fighter Tom Aspinall is said to need further eye tests after an injury saw his title defence against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 end in a no-contest.

The Atherton-born UFC star was set to face the Frenchman former Muay Thai pro, 35, in the first competitive match since being declared the undisputed heavyweight champion earlier this year.

Aspinall was handed the belt by default after fighting legend Jon Jones retired from the sport, only to seemingly put himself back in training and the testing pool not long after.

Ultimately, the local athlete was unable to fully demonstrate why he’s found himself top dog in the division after an eye-poke from Gane saw Tom unable to continue. Brace yourselves: it’s rather unpleasant to watch…

In a word, OUCH.

Unsurprisingly, UFC fans are still wrapped up in fierce debate online, with many arguing whether or not the fight should have been stopped despite Aspinall making it clear he could no longer see properly after the illegal move.

In fact, Aspinall’s father and trainer, Andy, told various media that Tom was still unable to see out of his right eye as an ambulance quickly took him to a nearby hospital following the abandoned bout at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Nevertheless, plenty are questioning the ins and outs of the moment, with some believing that Aspinall was supposedly looking for “a way out” after the early rounds against Gane, while plenty more are wondering whether the eye poke was even ‘accidental’.

The Wigan native gave fight fans plenty of grief back, though, expressing his shock at those up in the stands booing and asking what else they expected him to do.

It was in front of his opponent’s home crowd in Paris, in fairness, but he and his fans were left, nevertheless, disappointed by the reaction following what is an extremely serious injury.

You only have to hear Michael Bisping talk about losing his right eye to know how much it changed his life, and Aspinall actually referenced the fellow Northerner in the aftermath of the eye poke, stating, “I really respect what Bisping has done; he’s done more than I would.

“I wouldn’t carry on fighting with one eye. No chance.”

While doctors have so far assured that there should be no permanent ocular damage, both pain and precaution are inevitable; it will be some time before Aspinall gets back in the octagon, and who knows when we can expect a rematch against Ciryl Gane.

You can watch the highlights before it was called early HERE, and see the ‘Honey Badger’s reaction after the fact on this official Tom Apsinall YouTube down below.

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Featured Images — TNT Sports/Tom Aspinall Official (screenshots via YouTube)

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