Quarterback is not a description usually attached to a player once known as the ‘Salford Silva’. But James McAtee has transformed dramatically since leaving Manchester City 15 months ago.
The nickname emerged during his academy years, when the diminutive midfielder glided through crowded areas, rarely surrendered possession and scored freely for City’s youth teams.
That was the player Nottingham Forest believed they were signing for £30million in August 2025 — a statement addition expected to operate in advanced areas. Yet as last season descended into chaos, with four managers taking charge, McAtee started only two Premier League matches.
At one point he played just four minutes across almost four months and remained an unused substitute in both meetings with City. That picture will change on Saturday. McAtee is now expected to be one of the first names on the Forest teamsheet, largely because of a conversation with Oliver Glasner that altered his career at the City Ground.
That brings us to the quarterback role — the central figure in a Glasner team. The Austrian coach saw it as the next stage of McAtee’s development and his route to regular football. Within months, the 24-year-old has become the heartbeat of a Forest side that deserves considerably more than the six points it has collected so far.
Those who guided McAtee at City are not surprised by his composure in possession or his ability to thread passes through the lines. Few, however, expected him to throw himself into tackles and blocks. Only two midfielders in the division have made more than his 14 tackles so far. He has developed into a terrier.
James McAtee in his ‘quarterback’ role for Nottingham Forest, where he has become the heartbeat of the team
At Manchester City he was dubbed the ‘Salford Silva’ and was more effective higher up the pitch
The change was built during a full summer of work on a rented pitch in Stockport, close to his family home. Forest sporting director George Syrianos told McAtee he needed to become stronger physically. After a five-day holiday, the midfielder followed a strict routine of two-and-a-half hours of training each day, including afternoon weight sessions lasting an hour.
By the time he returned for pre-season, McAtee had added just over 2.5kg of muscle while losing 1kg of fat. He came back looking like a different player, reinforcing Glasner’s decision to make him a permanent presence in midfield.
The Forest manager also explained how he had developed Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace into an England international. McAtee was told the plan for him would follow a similar path.
This month’s Nations League matches are likely to come too soon, but McAtee has strong admirers within the Football Association and is expected by some to win senior caps in the future. His credentials are compelling: he captained England Under-21s to last year’s European Championship title, was named player of the match in the final against Germany and earned a place in the team of the tournament.
In many ways, McAtee embodies the midfielder the FA has sought to produce over the past decade: agile but combative, fiercely protective of the ball and capable of escaping pressure with ease. His understanding of the game also tells him when to take risks. He has created 18 chances this season, the same number as Rayan Cherki.
Only Bruno Fernandes, Granit Xhaka and Pascal Gross have attempted more passes into the penalty area than McAtee’s 60 among central midfielders.
City will provide a significant test on Saturday evening, while McAtee also has a point to prove after working under Enzo Maresca with the club’s Under-21 side and carrying a lingering sense of what might have been at the Etihad.
England, meanwhile, have no shortage of emerging talent in central midfield. Bournemouth’s Alex Scott is among those threatening to disrupt the partnership of Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice.
Scott could return this weekend from the thigh injury he suffered during the previous international break — a fitness issue that reportedly infuriated his club.
McAtee skippered the England Under 21s to last year’s European Championship title, was player of the match in the final against Germany and named in the team of the tournament
The 24-year-old bulked up over the summer and is now able to mix it in the Forest engine room
Beyond those three places, the competition is wide open. James Garner has recently become a favourite of Thomas Tuchel, in large part because of his work rate, while Wharton was left out of the World Cup squad.
Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo was selected ahead of all of them but did not play in the United States. McAtee’s defensive and attacking numbers this season compare favourably with every other midfielder in that chasing group. Each knows there is an opportunity to make a case.
For now, the midfield picture is Rice, Anderson, Scott and one other. Whether McAtee can extend his run beyond nine straight Premier League starts will depend on him. More importantly, he has greater control over his future than ever before.
At City, he waited patiently for opportunities that rarely arrived. During his first season at Forest, more established and supposedly safer options moved ahead of him as the club fought relegation. Under Glasner, however, McAtee has been given structure and the reassurance that one below-par display will not automatically send him to the bench. He has always needed trust to thrive — and at last, he appears to have found it.
