The phrase “men against boys” is often used when describing Manchester City’s matches, but it won’t be one that worries Michael Olise should he feature for Crystal Palace tonight. It may even bring back fond memories.
“He was 14 at the time and came to play with my seven-a-side team,” says Sean Conlon.
“Against semi-pro adults, he was the best player on the pitch. He was that good.”
Conlon was scouting for QPR when he first came across Olise, a seven-year-old playing for his local side Hayes while also training with Arsenal.
Olise was coached for two years by Conlon, focusing on technical attributes to go alongside his natural athleticism, as he signed for Chelsea and his reputation continued to grow.
“He’s always been considered one of the top players in the country at his age group," Conlon says.
His young career suffered its first real setback when he left Chelsea at 14, before he spent a brief period training with City before eventually joining Reading’s academy.
“When he didn’t go straight through the Chelsea youth teams, he developed more resilience,” Conlon says. “It helped him not take anything for granted.”
It was at Reading that Olise made his mark at senior level, winning the EFL Young Player of the Season award in his final campaign at the club before he moved to Crystal Palace.
First watching on as sporting director and then taking charge as manager, Mark Bowen quickly became familiar with Olise’s self-confidence.
“In the last 20 years I’ve had working with young players, I found him to be quite unique,” Bowen says.
“The first thing that stuck in my mind was the arrogance that he had and I mean that in a nice way.
“In the training sessions, he would literally stand on the ball and invite the defenders over. One or two senior players would clatter into him, sending him a little message.
“There wasn’t any moaning or crying though. He would look across to me and shake his head, and then he’d bounce up and carry on. That’s unusual at that age.
“At times after training, I had to pull him over and say ‘Michael be careful, don’t take the micky, You’ve got the ability, use it wisely.’”
Olise’s start to life at Palace was not helped by injury problems, as he made just two Premier League starts before the turn of the year.
The 20-year-old has already made seven league starts in 2022 though and his former manager is confident the minutes will only increase.
“It will come, he’ll be a regular,” Bowen believes.
“I look at him now and for all the ability he’s got, what really makes top players is that they make the right choices at the right time. When to pass, when to dribble, when to shoot.
“Michael will get there but he’s still learning those key things.”
In his press conference ahead of City’s visit, Patrick Vieira made his admiration of Olise clear as he called on him to stay at the club for a “long, long” time.
It speaks volumes of Olise’s reputation that there are already rumours about his future. It was reported last week that Gareth Southgate is trying to convince him to switch international allegiance from France to England.
Few have more faith in him than the man who saw him starring on the pitches of west London more than a decade ago.
“I believe that he can go to the very, very top,” Conlon says.
“A lot of us would say he’s one of the most exciting young players in the world.”
