Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola encouraged Taylor Harwood-Bellis to go on loan to Burnley and be reunited with former teammate and coach Vincent Kompany.
Harwood-Bellis has impressed on loan in the Championship at Blackburn and Stoke in the last 18 months, either side of a six-month spell at Anderlecht, when Kompany was in charge there. Now, he has sealed a season-long loan at Burnley, who appointed Kompany last month to try and get them back to the Premier League.
And while a phone call from Kompany to Harwood-Bellis helped the youngster make his mind up over the loan, a word of advice from City boss Guardiola about picking a manager, not just a club, also helped.
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Harwood-Bellis said: "It’s the next stage and where I want to be so when a club like this comes knocking, it was the right step for what City wanted, for what I wanted, and for what Burnley wanted. He [ Guardiola ] told me the manager has to be right and the club has to be right for me as it’s a big part of my career.
"It’s class working with him [Kompany] and when he called me again, I knew straight away. It was the same feeling as when he called me before I went to Anderlecht. It’s a big loan for me in my career and progression. I feel like it was the right decision to come here with the football club and the manager.
“I was buzzing when he called me and it was a no-brainer with the club, not just the manager, although he was a big part of it. I watched him growing up and he was the person I watched being a City fan. He was huge and to work under him again will be class."
Reflecting on his time at Anderlecht, which was cut short after he lost his place and a loan to Stoke became available, Harwood Bellis said: “It was massive for me in my life and in my progression in football. I really enjoyed it out there to be honest, it’s a good country and a good league.
“The club I was at was massive, and again the manager and the staff there were all brilliant. That made my decision quite easy to come here.
“[Kompany] said the same to me as he did when he was at Anderlecht. He’s come here to put his stamp on things and he’s got a plan for the club. Obviously he’s a winner himself and the thing I noticed at Anderlecht was that he makes everyone around him winners too.
“That was something I wanted to be a part of again and with the club, it’s matched with him as well. It’s huge, an easy decision.”
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