Manchester City starlet Cole Palmer has opened up on the influence of Pep Guardiola throughout his time at the club and how he now feels as though he belongs in a side full of stars.
In a piece for The Players' Tribune, Palmer described the impact that Guardiola has had during his time at City and how his manager is "proper mad" about football. The young Englishman admitted he still can't quite believe that he trains under the former Barcelona manager.
He said: "It’s still mad that I get to train with and be around Pep every day. I grew up watching his Barca team. The best to ever do it.
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"In real life, he’s pretty much as you’d expect. Always on about football. Proper mad for it. Crazy details on another level. He’ll just say something, whether it’s tactics, movement, technique, whatever, and it’ll completely change the way you think.
"It’s like, 'Ah, right, why have I never thought about it like that before?'. There’s nothing he doesn’t know about football."
Palmer made his debut against Burnley at Turf Moor in September 2020 but it was in the reverse fixture against the Clarets where he recalled a touchline conversation with Guardiola before coming on as a substitute.
"We're at the Etihad playing Burnley. It’s the 90th minute. Pep grabs my arm," he said.
“If I put you on now, are you sure you can still play later? This was last October. I’m about to make my second-ever Premier League appearance, but I’m thinking about the next game. The Under-23s have got a late kick-off against Leicester and I reckon I can get over in time to play in that too. So, we’re on the touchline and Pep’s asking me, 'Are you sure? There’s no rule that says you can’t?'. I’m standing there like, 'Err … yeah, I think so'.
"Then, the assistant manager, Rodolfo Borrell, comes over. He knows the rules. He’s like, 'Yes, Cole can play both games, if he wants to'.
"To be fair, no one asked me to play both games. I’ve just seen the fixture list. I know I can make it in time. The Under-23s only play over the road at the Academy Stadium. It’s a two-minute drive. If I’m only getting a few minutes here against Burnley — even if it is the Premier League — why not? Pep puts me on for the last few minutes of the game and we close it out 2–0."
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