Manchester City defender Nathan Ake praised his young teammates after their preseason friendly win against Preston North End.

Thirteen players aged 21 or under turned out for City across the 90 minutes in the 2-0 win, with James McAtee and Sam Edozie even combining for the latter's second half strike, which completed the scoring.

“I think they did very well," Ake told City's website.

“The whole team and academy knows what kind of players we have.

“They've come to train with us so many times as well, so we know what quality they have as well. They showed that today and played really well."

Ake believes City will kick on from last season.

He declared: “I think you have to (raise your level) every season."

“Other teams are going to want to take the title off us.

"But we have to make sure we do everything we can to compete as well."