Reigan Heskey: Teenage son of a Premier League great emerging as an academy goal machine at Man City

Reigan was born in January 2008 while his father was playing for Wigan Athletic. Part of his upbringing came in Australia, however, when ex-England international Emile played for Newcastle Jets. In 2016, a couple of years after the family had moved back to the north west of England, Reigan enrolled in the City academy at the age of eight, following the path of Jaden, who is two years his senior.

He steadily worked his way through the club's age-group teams, but was catapulted into the Under-19s in November 2023 when he was just 15 for a UEFA Youth League game against Young Boys. Heskey was informed he had been called-up to the team while he was in class at school, and he lined-up in attack alongside Jaden. In just the eighth minute, he earned a penalty, which he duly stepped up to convert.

Heskey was promoted to City's U21s - also known as the Elite Development Squad (EDS) - earlier this season at Norwich City, and despite being five years younger than some of his opponents and team-mates, he scored a hat-trick in the space of 22 minutes. The forward scored his team's second goal within two minutes of being brought on at the start of the second half, netting with a close-range tap-in following a short corner, while his other two goals were individual efforts after coming in from the left wing.

"He’s got an unbelievable chance to be a top player. He has a lot of attributes you’d look for in someone of his position," raved coach Ben Wilkinson. "To come on in an EDS game as a 16-year-old and score a hat-trick isn’t something you see very often.

"Our job is to steer him in the right direction over the next couple of years and not let him get too high in these moments. I’m sure he’ll have some bumps as well. We’ll make sure he doesn’t get too low in that point and just try to keep him on track."

Heskey has scored 16 goals this season across four separate competitions and four different age categories. He is the joint-leading scorer in City's U18s team with 10 goals, while he has also netted in the EFL Trophy - against senior professionals twice his age - and the UEFA Youth League, in addition to his treble in the Premier League 2.

The forward is also on the way to emulating his father's international career, as he has made five appearances for England's U17s, and in September he scored his first international goal, netting against Germany.

Heskey is renowned for his pace, his nifty footwork and his ability to worm his way past defenders on the left wing and cut inside. He also has a deadly shot, and although he is naturally right-footed, he is more than capable of using his left, which makes him harder to defend against..

"We're synonymous with players in those wide positions that at this club have to be able to beat players one-vs-one and create situations you can win the game from. Reigan's got all those qualities every single game I've seen him," City's then-U19s coach Brian Barry-Murphy said after Heskey's Youth League debut. "He's a highly talented player - who obviously has a lot of things to work on - but it was good to see him play so well in his first game."

Heskey needs to develop physically if he is to keep progressing. Indeed, he got a reality check soon after his debut goal in the Youth League when he was forced to come off at half-time with cramp.

Bulking up will help him get a greater run of games with the U21s and better equip him for the jump to senior football whenever it comes. He should also look to add variety to his style so he is not just viewed as a pure winger.

There are several similarities between Heskey and current City winger Jeremy Doku. Both players relish taking on defenders in one-v-one situations and curling the ball into the far corner with their right foot.

Heskey is currently more prolific - albeit only at youth level - than Doku, who has never scored more than six league goals in a season. There are also similarities, meanwhile, between Heskey and former City winger Riyad Mahrez.

Heskey has time on his side as he doesn't turn 17 until January, meaning he could still have another season with the U18s. The dream would be to follow the path of Phil Foden, Bobb and Rico Lewis and make his debut for City's senior team, ideally along with Jaden. But the two brothers will be more than aware of how hard it is to make the transition from the academy to the first team, as former City siblings Tommy and Callum Doyle can both testify to.

The club have tended to view the academy as a money-spinner rather than a breeding ground for the next generation of City stars, with some notable exceptions, although more recently they have lived to regret letting the likes of Palmer, Romeo Lavia and Jeremie Frimpong slip away.

Heskey's long-term future will likely lie away from the Etihad Stadium, but the examples of the aforementioned trio, as well as Ipswich forward Liam Delap, Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rodgers and Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, underline that a good footballing education with City can give you the perfect preparation for a successful Premier League career. There will certainly be no pressure from Reigan's father.

"From a young age, I always said that I would just be the dad. I wouldn't be the one that would be dictating anything they're doing," Emile Heskey told Talksport. "I've been lucky in a sense that they're arguably one of the best, if not the best academy to be at for development. So you just leave them and let them enjoy that journey. Wonderful."