Pep Guardiola has been told to rival Manchester United for Jack Grealish this summer.
But after seeing Phil Foden come of age at Wembley, Manchester City will believe they already have David Silva’s successor in place.
As for Grealish – on the back of this EFL Cup final defeat, he may well be wondering about his own future.
He sunk to the ground as Lee Mason blew the final whistle to confirm a 2-1 win for City and a sixth major domestic trophy from the last seven for Guardiola.
He won’t know when his next chance of silverware will come – and the tears in his eyes as he left the pitch will have been in small part because of that.
But Man-of-the-Match Foden will be confident this is just the start of many. He may even be back on this stage twice more before the end of the season.
Grealish, meanwhile, might not be in English football’s top flight next term.
And with the Euros coming up, it could be a battle between two of the England’s most exciting prospects to force their way into Gareth Southgate’s squad.
Going into Sunday’s final, it was Grealish leading the charge as the playmaker with the ability to produce the unexpected for his country.
In Pictures | Carabao Cup Final, Aston Villa vs Man City | 01/03/2020
He’s been outstanding for a Villa team fighting for survival and the calls are only growing louder for him to be given his England chance.
He is high on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s wanted list this summer – and former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy started the day by telling Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp to make a move too.
But even in a season in which City have fallen so far behind Premier League champions-elect Liverpool, it is debatable whether they really need him – Silva’s imminent departure notwithstanding.
Guardiola insists he won’t buy in a replacement for the Spain legend, with Foden set to be given the chance to prove he can fill the void.
City’s transfer priorities lie in defence, with a centre-back and a left-back being targeted in the summer.
That can only be good news for Southgate, who is desperate to see Foden get a prolonged run in the first team.
His performance at the home of English football will have only encouraged both Guardiola and Southgate that he is ready to make that step up.
Villa couldn’t live with the 19-year-old’s movement on or off the ball.
The warning signs for Dean Smith’s side were there from early on as Foden picked up the ball just past the halfway line and rode a series of challenges – both fair and foul – with a gliding run into the box.
Later he killed a long-range cross-field pass dead with the outside of his foot as he drove in from the right.
For City’s opener after 20 minutes he managed to find space inside the area and had the presence of mind to head back into Sergio Aguero’s path for the striker to fire past Orjan Nyland.
Southgate has been adamant he will only pick players who get regular game-time, which is why Foden’s hopes of making the Euros remain so precarious, having made just two league starts this season.
But this was the type of performance that is impossible for the England manager to ignore – even if the teenager is only taken along as a wildcard.
How the Three Lions need his ability to keep a hold of the ball and cut open the opposition with both his passing and dribbles. In short, he is precisely what they missed at the last World Cup when it came to the biggest tests against Belgium – twice – and Croatia.
There is more than an air of Paul Gascoigne about him.
It’s only right that Grealish’s qualities in that department are also acknowledged.
He has proved himself in the top flight this season – which is why United believe he can add a new dimension to their midfield.
But on his big day, the 24-year-old was overshadowed by a man five years his junior.
And having denied Grealish his first piece of major silverware, Foden may yet wreck his dreams of staring for his country at the Euros, too.