Ugandan-English talent Divine Mukasa was on the bench as his side, Manchester City, defeated Manchester United 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the Manchester derby on Sunday.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder will, however, have to wait for another day to make his Premier League debut.
During the preseason in August, Mukasa made his first senior team appearance, replacing Erling Haaland in the 60th minute of their 3-0 win over Palermo in an international friendly. He provided an assist, setting up Tijjani Reijnders for City’s third goal in the 83rd minute.
Mukasa has been a key figure in City’s Under-18 side over the past two seasons and will now be hoping to catch the eye of manager Pep Guardiola at the senior level. Earlier this year, he was named Players’ Player of the Season at Manchester City’s annual academy awards after a standout campaign in the U18 Premier League, where he registered an impressive 16 goals and 15 assists in just 20 games.
He signed his first professional contract with City in September last year, only a year after joining from West Ham. Since then, the left-footed playmaker has continued to impress with his exceptional technical ability, game intelligence, and composure under pressure — qualities that have drawn admiration from top clubs.
Born in England to Laima Mukasa, an Englishwoman, and Sam Mukasa, his Ugandan father, Divine Mukasa has represented England at U15, U17, and U18 levels. He remains eligible to play for England, Uganda, or Lithuania at the senior level.
