James McAtee can use Under-21 Euros as a stepping stone
McAtee will captain England against the Czech Republic on June 12 as Lee Carsley's side attempt to defend their crown in Slovakia.
The 22-year-old, who featured 15 times for Pep Guardiola's side in the Premier League last season, has been selected for international duty instead of City's Club World Cup campaign in the United States – a decision Hart believes would have been a collective one.
Lee Carsley has confirmed that James McAtee will be our #YoungLions captain for the #U21EURO finals ©️ pic.twitter.com/gy8cNDMOBo
— England (@England) June 6, 2025
'It would have been a team decision and it wouldn't have been one where he was frustrated and said 'I'm not going to the Club World Cup with Manchester City',' Hart, who will be part of Channel 4's presentation team for the Under-21 Euros, said on Monday about McAtee's absence from club duty.
'There's no doubt that he's putting himself in the window for Manchester City but also potentially putting himself in the window as a stepping stone because he's not at a club where they feed people in, he's at the best of the best and he'll understand that.'
Team-mate Rico Lewis and Chelsea's Liam Delap, however, have committed to their clubs and will not play a part for England this summer.
With Kevin De Bruyne set to leave the club, City are expected to sign midfielders Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, sparking questions around McAtee's long-term future at the club.
'At the end of the day they (City) want the development of their players and what's best for them,' Hart added.
'That conversation would have been had, I'm sure McAtee would have had (in mind) what's right for him and he's the captain of the Under-21 team and playing real minutes.
'The best thing for him is to play well at the highest level, he can do that and I think that's a great opportunity.'
:: England Under-21s opening game vs Czech Republic Under-21s on June 12 is live from 7.30pm on Channel 4, where you can find all England matches throughout the tournament
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