When Manchester City opened their new academy complex at the Etihad Campus in December 2014, it came with what chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak called a "vision for youth development and sustainability."
Two-and-a-half years on, there seems to be a blockage between the academy and Pep Guardiola's squad. There have been talented hopefuls -- such as Aleix Garcia, Angelino, Pablo Maffeo or Tosin Adarabioyo -- but none have yet made the step up to be considered a serious option in the Premier League on a regular basis.
The closest has been Kelechi Iheanacho. First bursting onto the scene with a last-minute winner in the 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace in 2015-16, the fans felt he'd be the one who would be able to make the leap. However, then-manager Manuel Pellegrini didn't give the youngster many games, often opting for the unimpressive £ 25 million signing Wilfried Bony instead, despite Iheanacho's impressive goals-to-minutes ratio.
Now, under Guardiola, it looks like Iheanacho's chances have gone.
With 17-year-old Jayden Sancho reportedly turning down one of the biggest contract offers for a youngster because he feels the path to the first team isn't one he can cross at City, there seems to be a crisis in that vision for the future.
Nobody expected it to be easy -- with the pressure on City to be challenging for the Premier League title and both domestic and European cups, there's rarely a minute that doesn't matter for the first team any more. This isn't the same club that would get to the 40-point mark and shut down, giving opportunities to a couple of youth prospects.
Though it also has to be said, would City have really performed that much worse in the Premier League in the last couple of seasons had players like Garcia, Adarabioyo or Iheanacho been given a little more time? Neither 2015-16 nor 2016-17 were much to write home about.
There needs to be one who proves to the hierarchy that youngsters can be trusted and one who shows other academy players, like the disgruntled Sancho, that the gap can be bridged. Phil Foden, a 17-year-old from Stockport and whose only senior appearance came in Thursday's 2-0 preseason defeat to Manchester United, could be that player.
Though the spotlight of that match will go to United goalscorers Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford, the real story came courtesy of the youngster who left Guardiola speechless.
"I don't have words," the Catalan told the press afterwards, going on to say the display was "on another level" and that Foden was "a gift" for the club.
Though there always needs to be caution over reading too much into preseason, it is the only real opportunity young players get to make their mark at City. It was quite some impression he made, too -- were he not wearing number 80, it would have been easy to mistake Foden for an established first-team player.
Throughout his 75 minutes, the 17-year-old stole the show, up against the much more experienced Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba. He muscled the ball back high up the pitch, he looked more than comfortable receiving it to feet and gliding past his opponents, and he wasn't afraid to chance his arm with a shot from range.
The youngster continued to find pockets of space in the United midfield and he was at his most dangerous with his back to goal. A number of times the ball was fed into him and he turned beyond one defender to run at the back four. In one instance, he left Herrera red-faced as he slid past the Spaniard with ease.
Perhaps most impressive in Foden's performance was what he did without the ball. Though his passing and dribbling caught the eye, it was his movement that truly made him look like he'd been playing with the seniors for years. He showed great awareness to drop to provide an option or to open up space for others to get in on goal.
That's why the youngster could prove to be a valuable asset to City this season -- one of Guardiola's biggest criticisms of his first campaign at the Etihad was a lack of cutting edge up front.
It all has to come with a word of caution. Foden is the latest to be talked up, but City's recent history with academy graduates doesn't bode well for the 17-year-old. This time last year it was Adarabioyo who was being praised for his performances in the warm-up matches, and he's still waiting for his Premier League debut.
The year before, Iheanacho had the plaudits and he's now on the verge of leaving.
Guardiola hinted that Foden might not be sent out on loan, potentially sticking with the first-team squad this season instead. City fans have been waiting a long time for the next academy graduate after Micah Richards to make a real impact on the senior side.
If Foden continues the way he's started, perhaps they won't have to wait too much longer.