Five Manchester City academy players thriving at other clubs

Manchester City are proud owners of one of English football’s most successful youth academies right now with the Citizens producing a host of top-tier names.

Phil Foden and Rico Lewis have found roles in Pep Guardiola’s plans, though several starlets have departed in search of minutes and have reaped the rewards. The season’s opening weeks have seen a number of City academy graduates shine in the colours of rivals clubs.

Five Manchester City academy players thriving at other clubs

Cole Palmer

The headline name developed in the Etihad before finding success elsewhere, it’s been a whirlwind year for Cole Palmer. Some scoffed at the £40m fee that took Palmer to Chelsea a year ago, but he has justified that price tag and then some.

Palmer led the Premier League for goals and assists (33) in 2023/24 and deservedly claimed the PFA Young Player of the Year award in the process. He’s started the new season on fire with six goals and four assists in six Premier League games, underlining his status as one of the most productive players in European football.

He became the first player in Premier League history to score four first-half goals in a game against Brighton last weekend and is now too good for England to ignore, after limited involvement at Euro 2024. The Citizens might just be regretting allowing the Wythenshawe-born baller to move on.

Morgan Rogers

Morgan Rogers formed part of the Elite Development Squad that won the Premier League 2 at Manchester City in 2020/21, the first of three consecutive wins for the Citizens. Signed from West Brom as a teenager, Rogers spent two seasons in the academy at City before leaving for Middlesbrough in 2023. Six months later, Aston Villa snapped up the midfielder in an £8m deal and Rogers has taken his game to new heights.

Across the last fortnight, he has made his Champions League debut, provided two assists in a win at Wolves, and scored his first Premier League goal against Ipswich. His mix of physique and balletic footwork have made Rogers tough to shake off the ball and the 22-year-old is pushing for a senior England call-up. He ranks second in the Premier League for average ball-carrying distance and fifth for chances created to far this season.

Liam Delap

A teammate of Palmer and Rogers in the EDS side, Delap departed in the summer given the Erling Haaland-sized roadblock to first-team football. The 21-year-old was a prolific presence at youth level and marked his senior debut for the Citizens with a goal.

Delap has spent the past two seasons on various Championship loan spells with mixed success, before Ipswich spent an initial £15m to sign the forward this summer.

He’s hit the ground running in the Premier League with three goals in six league appearances for The Tractor Boys, including a well-taken brace against Aston Villa last weekend. Broad-shouldered and a powerful runner in transitions, Delap has deceptively good feet in tight spaces. His confidence will only increase as he settles into top-flight football.

Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho chose to leave Manchester City as a teenager having become disillusioned with his route to first-team football. A move to Borussia Dortmund proved to be the perfect platform to launch his career as Sancho starred across four seasons at the Westfalenstadion.

The winger produced 114 goals and assists in 134 appearances for Dortmund to earn a £72.9m move to Manchester United, though he struggled to make an impact during an uninspiring time at Old Trafford.

Sancho signed for Chelsea on an initial loan in the summer and has shown sparks of returning to his best. He has three assists in three Premier League appearances for Enzo Maresca’s team this season. Another ex-City product, Romeo Lavia, is also a part of the West London side’s squad.

Michael Olise

Michael Olise spent time inthe academy set-ups at Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City before finding a home at Reading, where a first-team breakthrough led to a transfer to Crystal Palace. In three seasons with the Eagles, Olise emerged as one of the most exciting young wingers in Europe.

Bayern Munich won the race for his signature in the summer and the €60m signing has made an instant impression. Olise has five goals and two assists in six starts across all competitions, with the 22-year-old predicted to go right to the very top.

This is just the beginning,” Thierry Henry, who managed Olise with the French Olympic team in the summer, said.

“I hope so for his sake anyway. Of course, we don’t want to jinx him. But you don’t often get players like this. He has enormous quality – and you haven’t seen anything yet.”

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