Manchester City teenager Kaden Braithwaite will become the third youngest player in the club’s 130-year history when he makes his first-team debut on Tuesday night.

Pep Guardiola is expected to name the 16-year-old defender in City’s starting line-up for their Carabao Cup third round tie against Watford after he impressed the City head coach in training.

The teenager will be the youngest player to make his first-team debut under Guardiola, who has been in charge at the Etihad Stadium since 2016.

Glyn Pardoe holds the record as the club’s youngest player, making his debut in 1962 at the age of 15 years and 341 days. Former City midfielder Paul Simpson was less than four months older than Braithwaite when he made his debut against Coventry City in 1982.

Braithwaite, who can play as a full-back or left-back, has started all four of the club’s U18 matches this season.

Eight-time League Cup winners City will be looking to advance to the next round after winning the competition four times in a row between 2016 and 2021.

City host Championship side Watford two days after salvaging a dramatic 2-2 draw with Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

John Stones equalised in the eighth minute of injury time, securing a point for the team that keeps them top of the table after five games played.

Versatility and size have caught Guardiola’s attention

Analysis by Sam Lee

Braithwaite signed for City at the usual U9 stage after being picked up by the club’s junior academy – following in the footsteps of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, among others.

He can play in a number of positions, including centre-back, left-back and midfield, and is also more powerfully built than many of City’s young academy players – something Guardiola noted in pre-season when talking about tall midfielder Nico O’Reilly, who will also start against Watford.

After making his debut in the U18 team last season, he was promoted to this age group in the summer and has already been named vice-captain by coach Oliver Reiss.

(Carl Recine/Getty Images)