MAN CITY’s academy has produced plenty of talented players through the years.
Stars like Phil Foden and Rico Lewis have managed to break into the first team and establish themselves under Pep Guardiola.
But some have found themselves on the fringes of the action, and have left the club.
Cole Palmer is the latest youngster to leave the Etihad, after Chelsea pounced in a £45million deal.
Palmer, 21, should be buoyed by these success stories who have made the move away from M11.
Kieran Trippier
Before he would become an England international and Newcastle star, Trippier spent his youth days at Man City.
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He was there from the age of nine, appearing in a pre-season friendly in 2009 at the Camp Nou against Barcelona.
However, after loans at Barnsley and Burnley, the right-back was deemed surplus to requirements .
In 2012, the Clarets made 32-year-old Trippier’s move permanent for £400,000. Amazingly, City would earn a further £1.3million from a sell-on fee when Spurs signed him in 2015.
Romeo Lavia
It was only last summer that City sold the Belgium midfielder to Southampton for £18million.
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After joining as a 16-year-old from Anderlecht, he would appear just once – in a League Cup tie against Wycombe Wanderers.
This summer, Chelsea paid a whopping £60million for him, with City reportedly earning 20 per cent in a sell on fee.
Lavia, 19, is now an international and might have saved the club, who added Mateo Kovačić and Matheus Nunes to their midfield for this season, millions.
Michael Olise
Blink and you might have missed it.
Not many will know that the speedy Crystal Palace winger, 21, had a year at City’s academy from 2016-17, after failing at Arsenal and Chelsea.
After he was released, he ended up joining Reading’s Academy scholarship program.
Olise made his debut for The Royals in 2019, before Premier League Palace bought him for £9million.
Jadon Sancho
While the jury is still out on his United career, it’s worth remembering that Sancho was one of the most feared wingers in European football at one point.
He controversially left Man City in 2017 for a reported fee of £8million, and was a pioneer in young players in our country choosing ambition and seeking pastures new overseas for first team football.
Various issues blighted his progress last season.
However, in pre-season the 23-year-old’s looked sharp and you wouldn’t put it past him rediscovering his form this term.
Brahim Diaz
Diaz’s CV – playing for European giants Real Madrid and AC Milan – is impressive.
He began in Manchester, after joining the club from Malaga in 2015.
The attacking midfielder, 24, would play 15 times for the club, before Los Blancos paid £24million for his services.
After three years on loan with the Serie A giants, he’s back at Madrid and appears to be in manager Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.
James Trafford
It’s still early days in his career, but it might prove to be the making of the young goalkeeper.
Trafford, 20, has already starred for England’s youth teams – saving a stoppage time penalty against Spain in the 2023 Euro U21 final to secure a 1-0 win.
The 6ft6in shotstopper joined City aged just 12 ,but failed to make a first team appearance.
A £19million summer move to Burnley has shown what he can do on the Premier League stage – already shining in his first two appearances for the Clarets.
Eric Garcia
Snatched from Barcelona at 17, La Masia graduate Garcia seemed destined to be a Rolls-Royce in City’s backline.
He appeared 35 times in all competitions for City from 2018-2021, before refusing to sign a contract extension and returning to the Catalans on a free transfer.
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Since then, he has been capped 19 times by Spain.
Garcia, 22, is also a reportedly a target for Arsenal, with manager Mikel Arteta said to be a fan of the centre back.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
