Manchester City assistant boss Mark Bowen admits their talented youngsters may struggle to break into the first team under the club's big spending new owners.

Bowen told BBC Radio Five Live: "It will be a natural progression over the next year or so with a number of players coming in.

"It will be an aspiration for the players but others will fall by the wayside - but that's the way it's been at Chelsea and Man United over the years.

"We want to give the players stiff competition for their places and if you have got real quality throughout the club that can only be for the benefit of the team.

"We have got some tremendously talented youngsters - yes of course the bar has been raised, of course they are going to find it harder to break into the team in the long run.

"But they will be watching and working with the best players in the world on a day-to-day basis.

"If someone had said to me Manchester City's youngsters have to take a back seat and it's going to be detrimental to them... it's a natural progression.

"If you are going to be challenging for the Champions League and wanting to push for the Premier League, I'm afraid it's the way it goes."