By Alex RobertsWe live in the era of versatility. Every club wants a player who can essentially play anywhere, and for Man City, that’s O’Reilly. He came through as an attacking midfielder but has since become their first choice left-back.Pep Guardiola made the decision ahead of City’s FA Cup third-round tie against Salford last season, it was O’Reilly’s fourth senior appearance for the club, and he had never played as a left-back before.As it turns out, Pep knows what he’s doing (who could’ve known!?). O’Reilly was fantastic, scoring in what turned out to be an 8-0 win and announcing himself to the world. City still decided to sign Rayan Aït-Nouri from Wolves, though.O’Reilly’s player traits compared to similar players in Top 5 leaguesO’Reilly made his made his 13th start of this season in the cup final against Arsenal. Of course, in true Guardiola style, he wasn’t playing as your typical left-back. His height and sheer physicality made him a constant threat in front of goal, obviously.His first goal was a bit of a gift. Kepa Arrizabalaga suffered from a major case of popadom hands, allowing Matheus Nunes’ cross to drop right in front of O’Reilly. Martin Zubimendi tried and failed miserably to muscle in front of him, but there was no chance.The fact he started the move for his second goal is easily missed. Low on ideas, Arsenal pumped the ball towards Kai Havertz, but O’Reilly stuck out one of his long legs to win it well. City were patient in their build up, giving the youngster plenty of time to make his way into position.Bukayo Saka was the only man on him, but again, the Arsenal player stood no chance. Hilariously, O’Reilly’s two headers were his only touches in the opposition box on the day. Talk about clinical.“Since I was a kid I always played in midfield, I was always arriving in the box and scoring goals,” he said after the game. “To bring it in at senior level and the highest level, it’s good for me and adds goals to my game. A great feeling.”O’Reilly’s possession numbers in the Premier League this seasonO’Reilly’s overall numbers in the Premier League are a little skewed because he’s occasionally played in midfield, but he’s primarily been City’s left back. They very clearly show a player who can do it all.He’s a high-volume ball carrier, completing 20 dribbles at a success rate of 40.8% and winning 132 duels. O’Reilly is also great in the air, winning 38 aerial duels at a success rate of 54.3%. He’s 6’4”, so that’s kind of to be expected.Defensively, he’s no slouch either. O’Reilly has won 61 tackles, made 83 recoveries, and contributed to City keeping eight clean sheets. Where he really stands out is winning possession in the final third six times.It’s no secret that Man City dominate almost every game they play. That requires O’Reilly to contribute massively in the final third. He has four goals, three assists, created 18 chances, five of which can be considered ‘big.’Also, because of how tall he is and dominant in the air, he pops up in the opposition box regularly, having 72 touches. Having a player like O’Reilly in their arsenal is a huge bonus, simply put, he’s contributing in every aspect, and just as Mikel Arteta found out, he’s very hard to defend against.O’Reilly’s defensive numbers in the Premier League this seasonAll of this should be music to the ears of England manager Thomas Tuchel. He isn’t exactly blessed with options at left-back heading into the summer’s World Cup, and he’s already a huge fan of O’Reilly, handing him his debut in the 2-0 win over Serbia.Again, O’Reilly took the chance and ran with it. Across his 180 minutes against Serbia and Albania, he made three tackles, won nine duels at a 90% success rate, and four aerial duels at a 100% success rate, while having 117 accurate passes and three touches in the opposition box.Looking at the other candidates, this is the first season since 2022/23 that Luke Shaw has managed to play over 30 games for Man United but hasn’t been called up once since Tuchel took over, so it’s starting to look like his England career may be over.Djed Spence somehow managed to get a place in the 35-man squad to face Uruguay and Japan. Unfortunately for him, his club form means a place at the World Cup is unlikely, never mind a potential starting birth.O’Reilly’s main competition for that spot both play for Newcastle. First, we have Tino Livramento. Although he’s primarily a right-back, he has featured and impressed on the opposite flank under Eddie Howe.Livramento hasn’t been able to stay fit, though. He’s started just 12 Premier League games this season, and he doesn’t offer the same kind of output as O’Reilly, being more of a traditional full-back, running up and down the wing.Now we come to Lewis Hall. His profile is a little closer to O’Reilly’s, the Newcastle ace also loves to carry the ball, completing 34 dribbles at a success rate of 58.6%, while also being a nuisance with 37 touches in the opposition box.The biggest difference is O’Reilly offers a level of physicality that Hall can’t. Perhaps if Tuchel wanted to be a little cheeky, he could interchange the two depending on the opposition England face in the latter stages.Man City’s academy is rightfully lauded as one of the best in the world, right now, they’re producing top level players at a rate only the likes of Barcelona, Benfica, and Ajax can match.O’Reilly is a cut above, though. Something we haven’t seen much of in the Premier League, he’s the type of player that ushers in a new era, one in which positions don’t matter and versatility does.(Images from IMAGO)You can follow every Man City and England game on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, xG, and player ratings, where available. Download the free app here.