City won’t be tempted to add another striker to their squad on deadline day after Manuel Pellegrini put his faith in a teenager.

The Blues boss ruled out the need for another front man, despite losing Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic, and only drafting in Raheem Sterling.

And he said, after handing 18-year-old Kelechi Iheanacho his debut as a substitute against Watford on Saturday that he will get his chance.

City came in for some flak last week after Rony Lopes was sold and Jason Denayer advised to go on a season’s loan, just three weeks after being promoted to the first team squad.

That has left just Kelechi from the trio who were trumpeted as academy graduates at the City Live event.

With a few injuries to deal with, and with Nicolas Otamendi still unavailable after work permit hold-up, Pellegrini promoted two more 18-year-olds, right back Pablo Maffeo and winger Patrick Roberts, to the bench alongside striker Kelechi.

And he put the Nigerian starlet on for the final few minutes of the 2-0 victory, to give him his first taste of the Premier League.

Denayer and Lopes have been edged out by the acquisitions of Otamendi and Kevin de Bruyne, with Pellegrini preferring to work with a 23-man squad.

But he said that the same will not be happening to the third teen star, as he has plenty of cover in that position.

“Kelechi will give us a lot of things during the season,” said the Chilean. “Someone asked me whether I was going to bring in another striker, but I think with Kun, Bony, Sterling – who can also play that position – and with Kelechi, it is important for young players to get their chance.”

It looked like a pointed move to put Maffeo and Roberts on the bench, as if to make a point that the route from the academy is still open despite Lopes’ departure and Denayer’s knock-back, but the fact is Pellegrini had to bring youngsters in.

He had Pablo Zabaleta, Nicolas Otamendi, Gael Clichy, Fernando and Wilfried Bony unavailable, and de Bruyne was still completing the formalities of his move.

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City, contrary to popular opinion, do not have a large, unwieldy squad, so the Engineer turned to the youth ranks.

Roberts has been working with the first team squad in any case, and Maffeo has been outstanding in Patrick Vieira’s elite development squad and deserved his promotion.

“It wasn’t sending a message – young players deserve the chance when they show, during the week, that they have reached a good level,” said Pellegrini. “They deserved it for the way they work every day.”