Manchester City have firmly established a recent history of producing some of the best youngsters in Europe.
Whether that includes academy products, or nurturing youth talent that have come into the side from other clubs, City’s track record with young players is largely unquestionable.
Names such as Kasper Schmeichel, Kieran Trippier, and Jadon Sancho instantly spring to mind as players who recognised their potential as future superstars while in sky blue.
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Perhaps the finest example in recent times is none other than Phil Foden.
The man now dubbed as the ‘Stockport Iniesta’ is rightly classed in and amongst the best talents in world football.
Emerging as one of the key players at one of the best teams in Europe, while also being an established England international at just 22 years of age, Phil Foden looks destined for greatness.
What is perhaps even more staggering is that he is not the only youngster that could be set for the very top at the Etihad Stadium.
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James McAtee, dubbed by some as the ‘Salford Silva’, bagged the Premier League 2 Player of the Season award last term and has been tipped to become a more regular feature in the first-team in the upcoming campaign.
Liam Delap, signed from Derby County in 2019, is gifted enough to prompt Southampton into placing a sizeable £16 million bid to sign a relatively unproven prospect at senior level.
While one can go on about the unearthed gems within Pep Guardiola’s side, two other names have now received recognition for being amongst the best young players in the world.
Manchester City’s Cole Palmer and Yan Couto have both been included in the final 80-man shortlist to win the 2022 Golden Boy award.
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Some of the nominees for the prestigious accolade include some of the world’s most highly-rated youngsters such as Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga, and Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham to name a few.
In the case of Palmer, it comes as no surprise that he has been recognised amongst some of the very best in the business.
Despite receiving just 339 minutes in the first-team for Manchester City last season, the 20-year old made his mark by scoring an impressive three goals in all competitions.
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So much so that Pep Guardiola has entrusted the Wythenshawe-born wonderkid as one of his side's wingers next term, following Raheem Sterling’s exit from the club.
Similarly, Couto deserved a shout in the nominees list after cementing his reputation as one of Primeira Liga’s best right-backs during his loan spell at Braga.
While the Brazilian has been speculated with bidding farewell to the Premier League champions in the summer, it is a testament to the 20-year old’s frightening potential that six clubs have reportedly lined up for his signature.
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Ultimately, the Manchester City duo have earned their spots in and amongst the upper echelon of youngsters and have all the talent in the world to become legends of the game one day.
Topics: Cole Palmer, Manchester City, Premier League, Football
Srinivas Sadhanand