Published 13:16 IST, October 1st 2020
Who is Cole Palmer? Pep Guardiola heaps praise on Man City's 18-year-old debutant
Who is Cole Palmer? Boyhood Man City fan Cole Palmer made his debut for the Cityzens in the EFL Cup against Burnley, earning praise from manager Pep Guardiola.
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Man City advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on after beating Burnley 3-0 on Wednesday night. Two goals from Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres' first goal for the club earned Man City a crucial victory following their 5-2 defeat against Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday. However, the spotlight was on 18-year-old Cole Palmer, who was given the opportunity to star in midfield alongside Kevin De Bruyne. Following the game, manager Pep Guardiola waxed lyrical on the debutant's performance as netizens took to Twitter to ask: "Who is Cole Palmer?"
Who is Cole Palmer? Cole Palmer Man City career at youth level
Cole Palmer supported Man City ever since he could remember and joined the club's youth team back in 2010. Palmer joined Man City at their under-8s level and progressed through the academy age groups before captaining the under-18 team during the 2019–20 campaign. On Wednesday night, Palmer's dream to play for the Man City senior team came true as he made his first senior appearance for the Cityzens in their EFL Cup fourth round 3-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor.
Having made his senior team debut for Man City, Palmer admitted that it was a proud moment for him. "I've been at this club since I was six years old, making my debut has been a dream come true", he said to reporters. In conclusion, the midfielder added: "I'm glad we got the win and I just want to thank everyone that has helped me get to where I am right now."
Man City news: Guardiola compares Palmer to Phil Foden
Cole Palmer began training with the Man City first-team squad after the lockdown last season and continued to train with the big names this term. Although Palmer failed to score a goal or register an assist on his debut performance despite going close on a number of occasions, Pep Guardiola is of the opinion that the youngster has a bright future ahead of him. While speaking to reporters after the win over Burnley, the Catalan said, "He started off a bit shy but that's normal because it was his first game."
PEP on Palmer 💬 He started a little bit shy, but that’s normal. He's an incredible young lad in the training sessions.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 30, 2020
He has a good future in this club. He's a humble guy. He is a guy with incredible finishing, like Phil.
Again, thank you to the Academy for these players.
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Guardiola then went on to draw comparisons between Palmer and one England's finest upcoming talents, Phil Foden, as he continued: "What I was most impressed about was his attitude. He is a humble guy, works a lot and with our counter-attacks, he was so instinctive, helping us run and he has an incredible finish on him, similar to Phil Foden." Guardiola also hinted that Palmer could make his debut in the Premier League soon.
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Image Credits - Man City Instagram
13:16 IST, October 1st 2020