Explained: Why players can represent TWO different clubs in FA Cup this season – and how it could benefit Manchester City

The FA Cup Third Round is upon us, the stage of the competition that sees the big boys from the Premier League and Championship enter.

Every year, it throws up some interesting ties, with sixth-tier Macclesfield hosting incumbent champions Crystal Palace in one of the most eye-catching draws this time around.

Being the oldest football competition in the world, the FA Cup is steeped in history and tradition, but that hasn’t stopped football chiefs updating the rules that govern it.

FA changes rules on ‘cup-tied’ players

The rules in their previous form stated that a player could only appear for one team in any single instalment of the competition.

That stood regardless of whether they were on loan when they made the appearance, or transferred permanently in the middle of the season; once they have played for one team in the FA Cup, that’s the only team they can represent in that season’s tournament.

However, those rules have now been relaxed by the FA, with players now able to play for two clubs in the FA Cup during the same season, or one club in the qualification rounds and one in the tournament proper.

In particular, this eases the pressure on loan players, who may have been blocked from appearing for their parent club in the competition after spending the first half of the season on loan, or unable to play for their temporary side if sent out on loan for the second half of the season.

Good luck getting your head round the actual wording of the rule change, though, which reads as follows: "A Player shall only play for one Club in the Competition during the same Season, save that a Player that has played for one Club in the Qualifying Competition and/or the Competition Proper may play for a maximum of one other Club in the Competition Proper (but may only play for a maximum of one Club in any given round of the Competition)."

Leeds United may be one of the first beneficiaries of the update. They sent young midfielder Charlie Crew out on loan to Doncaster Rovers at the start of the season, where he played in the Second Round against Chesterfield.

Crew has since been recalled, and the law change means that he could now feature for his parent club, who travel to face Derby County this weekend.

Similarly, this applies for Manchester City, who are reportedly eyeing a move for Palace’s Marc Guehi.

In previous years, eyes at the Etihad would be drawn to Palace’s decision-making this weekend, as Oliver Glasner opting to field Guehi against Macclesfield would, in the past, have impacted the defender’s eligibility for the remainder of the competition.

Such matters are no longer a concern, as the new two-club rule means that Guehi could play this weekend, and still turn out for City later in the competition, should he be signed for Pep Guardiola’s team.

The rule changes also usher in a new minimum age at certain levels, starting at 16 years old, which can be dropped to 15 with the necessary permissions.

Similar rules have recently come into force for the Carabao Cup, which saw a slight mix-up at Chelsea, as they believed Marc Guiu to be cup-tied after appearing for Sunderland on loan earlier in the competition, but were later informed by the English Football League that he was eligible for selection under the new rules.