City’s much copied and admired Academy is about to go global.

Jim Cassell, whose twelve-year tenure at the helm of the Platt Lane hot house has seen 27 players make first-team debuts in the Premier League, is to head a new international coaching team.

Their first port of call will be Abu Dhabi, where the Blues hope to unveil the project during the FIFA World Club Championships starting on December 9.

Chief Executive Garry Cook believes the new initiative will benefit both football in the Emirates and the long standing Academy.

Once the Abu Dhabi venture is established and successful the plan is to open additional centres across the world with America possibly the second stop.

“We want to drive the international awareness of its values through grass roots investment of time, expertise and money,” reckoned Cook.

“It will add value to the local football culture through player and coach development and support the development of local talent into local or regional professional careers in football.

“The Academies will create a focal point for our local fans and in the longer term generate a network of young football fans who will be advocates in their communities for City.”

The CEO is quick to stress that while Cassell and his coaches are globetrotting there remains the same level of commitment to producing home grown stars for the first team. Platt Lane has already undergone a huge upgrade in its facilities this summer.

“There has been tremendous change in the club in the ten months that Sheikh Mansour has owned the club but one of the areas we haven’t looked at is the Academy and that is what we are now doing,” Cook continued.

“In our opinion we have the best Academy in the country and the best guy leading it in Jim. What we want to do is take that quality overseas in a real and meaningful way.

“It makes sense to try and replicate the great work Jim and his staffs have done overseas and Abu Dhabi is a natural starting point. The owner’s commitment to the Academy is well documented.

“He wants to emulate what is done here in his own football club in Abu Dhabi. Setting up an Academy in Abu Dhabi is a physical manifestation of the owner’s commitment to the club and enables us to give something concrete back to Abu Dhabi.

“We are trying to change the culture of the club to one of opportunity and in Jim we have one of the greatest developers of youth talent in the world and we want to utilise that. Jim is a leader and he wants a challenge.

"He came to us and said he really believes in the club and wanted a challenge and something to get his teeth into in the way he redeveloped the youth programme and we think this is a great opportunity for him.

“At the same time, what we do not want to do is lose what Jim brings to the club - we will not do that, and he will help us find someone to take on the work that he has done so well for so many years.

"This is not about Jim walking away to a different area; it is not about Jim walking into the sunset, it is about Jim adding value to the club on a much larger stage than he already has been. We are also clear that we will not lose anything that Jim has built.”