Manchester City and James McAtee both made clear that they wanted to make things work this season. Despite City's title defence crumbling around him, however, McAtee has had a front row seat to the season rather than an active role.

Having spent two seasons at Sheffield United, last year defying Pep Guardiola to head out on loan again, McAtee decided that he was ready to fight for a place at the Etihad even if it meant less playing time.

What he won't have expected is just how little action he will have seen, with just two minutes (plus injury time) of Premier League action this season and 16 occasions where he has been an unused substitute.

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He has eight appearances in total this season from a possible 26, with more than half of his total minutes coming in two starts in the Carabao Cup. Even with City's injury crisis forcing various players to come back injured, run themselves into the ground and overplay to the point of regular mistakes, McAtee has stayed on the bench.

It is no surprise, then, to see him linked with a January transfer exit. If there was ever a period to get a regular run in City's team it is this season, so nobody could blame him for looking elsewhere.

In the summer, with an opportunity to work with Guardiola on the summer tour, McAtee said: "Obviously it’s my dream to play for this club. I’m going to get my head down, try my hardest and see how it goes. I’m not really fussed about minutes.

"I just want to learn from the best manager, the best players and it’s not really about minutes. I’ve gone out and got my minutes. I need to earn that. If I can do that then I’ll be happy with myself.

"Obviously I know the demands and quality in this team. If I wasn’t to get minutes it’s not something I’d be upset with but my aim is to prove myself and get into the team as much as I can."

Guardiola added: "I'd love to keep him, special guy to play in the small spaces in the pockets. He grew up in terms of physicality in the Premier League. A team fighting for the relegated, you get something special."

Soon after those comments, McAtee and City decided that he would stay as part of Guardiola's squad for the coming campaign.

A Champions League goal in Bratislava raised hopes that McAtee could take his pre-season form into the campaign and step up when asked.

"I’m just being patient, waiting for my chance and grabbing it when I do get it," he said in Slovakia. "Basically he’s [Guardiola] telling me to go and have fun. A bit more tactical but go and be myself and feel good about myself.

"With the way they set up I think I needed a bit of freedom to come and get the ball. Freedom when coming on to try to affect the game as much as I can."

Guardiola admitted after that game that McAtee will have to be patient for minutes, but praised his ability that few other players in the squad possess.

“I have the feeling the same as in the beginning. With teams who play so deep he has the quality to find it," Guardiola said, pointing to a confidence issue for the 22-year-old.

“I always had the feeling that I believe more he can play here than he does. Hopefully minutes can help him and show that he is part of that.

“Of course, he will not be a regular player this season but in a lot of games he will help us and when he plays like he did today I can always count on him perfectly.”

That game did not kick-start McAtee's season, however, and a Carabao Cup exit at Tottenham took away a guaranteed competition in which he would play. Even when City have been down to the bare bones, Guardiola has not turned to McAtee and explained recently that he is choosing to trust his senior players during the current run rather than throw in inexperienced youngsters.

He said: "In that period that we have, I'm going to make a responsibility for the senior players. Maybe it is unfair, maybe I'm wrong - it has happened in the past - but I had the feeling that in the bad moments the players who have to show and prove who we are as a team and what they have done in the past, I have to give them the keys to try to lead us to try and turn around the situation.

"We have to do it, all of us, but of course there are players that have more experience in that position. I'm not saying it's not going to happen, but so far I've decided that way.

"Always they are ready. The young players always have the ability, they don't defend anything in terms of the past, they are free and they can do it. Yeah, absolutely."

So for all of the praise, McAtee's path to minutes is blocked by a manager who appears to be protecting him from difficult moments. Yet McAtee came from a Premier League relegation battle last season and if he can't play when City have no players then when can he?

Guardiola added recently that he doesn't expect any players to leave in January - McAtee included - because City can't afford to let the squad get any smaller.

But when he has a fully-fit McAtee all season and only plays him twice, surely a move away would benefit all parties?