Nico O’Reilly’s midfield surge puts him in 2026 World Cup conversation
Nico O’Reilly has emerged as a decisive midfield presence for Manchester City, scoring three times across his last two league appearances and earning high-profile public endorsement for national team selection. The attention matters now because his form is coinciding with City’s title push and growing talk about selection ahead of the 2026 world cup.
Development details
The 20-year-old, a product of Manchester City’s academy who first began training with the club as an under-six and who trained with the senior team five years ago, has transformed his role this season. He broke through as a left-back in the second half of last season and, over the past three weeks, has established himself in midfield.
O’Reilly scored once in a league game against Fulham before producing a two-goal display against Newcastle United, bringing his tally in his most recent two league outings to three. He has been deployed in an all-action, box-to-box role alongside Rodri and Bernardo Silva, and has started in demanding fixtures including away games at Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
Those individual contributions arrive amid a wider squad overhaul: Manchester City have signed 11 players for Pep Guardiola’s squad since the start of 2025, including names brought in to adapt to new tactical demands. Guardiola has acknowledged that many new arrivals will need time to reach a settled level, and recent signings have described the adaptation as intensive and thought-driven rather than purely physical.
Context and escalation — 2026 World Cup focus
O’Reilly’s recent performances have drawn public acclaim from former striker Troy Deeney, who named him in his Premier League team of the week and declared the youngster his player of the month. Deeney argued that O’Reilly’s midfield shift has made teammates such as Rodri more effective and went as far as to suggest O’Reilly should be included in England’s squad for the tournament managed by Thomas Tuchel.
Deeney described both goals against Newcastle as “great and totally different, ” and highlighted the player’s versatility, noting O’Reilly’s history at left-back and the value of that background to his midfield displays. The endorsement, and the suggestion that national team staff will be monitoring his progress closely, brings added scrutiny as England prepare for selection decisions ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Immediate impact
The most immediate beneficiaries of O’Reilly’s shift have been Manchester City’s midfield structure and match performances. Deeney’s assessment — that Rodri has looked better since O’Reilly moved into midfield — captures a clear cause-and-effect pattern: O’Reilly’s positional change has altered balance and dynamics, which in turn has enhanced the influence of established figures in the team.
On the club level, that impact has translated into reliable starting appearances for a young player during a season in which City are contending for the title. On the individual level, O’Reilly’s three-goal burst over two league games has elevated his profile domestically and invited national-team consideration from outside observers.
Forward outlook
What makes this notable is the timing: his run of form coincides with Manchester City integrating a large intake of new signings whose full contribution Guardiola says will require time. The immediate schedule will keep O’Reilly in the spotlight as City press for domestic honours and as national staff gauge options ahead of squad building for the 2026 World Cup.
Public endorsements and consistent starting minutes represent concrete milestones in O’Reilly’s season. Thomas Tuchel is expected to be watching players’ club form closely before finalising decisions for the tournament, and O’Reilly’s recent performances provide the kind of evidence that places a 20-year-old firmly on the radar. The next confirmed developments will be further league matches and ongoing assessments by England’s coaching staff as selection discussions intensify.
