As things stand, Manchester City have so many young Spanish players on their books, it’s hard to keep up with who’s who, but when they’ve already made some first team appearances, it’s a bit easier.
For example, many fans will remember Manu Garcia, currently on loan at Alaves in La Liga, who made four appearances under Manuel Pellegrini last season.
The youngster even scored a goal, coming off the bench for the last six minutes of a 5-1 rout against Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup last year.
Speaking to Marca about moving to England aged 15 in 2013, the youngster also discussed his evolution within the Premier League, thanking a certain Frenchman along the way.
He explained: “I struggled with the youth squad, I wasn’t getting in the team much, but the manager then, Patrick Vieira, encouraged me. He saw I could play, and put me in the reserves. That same year I went on a post-season tour with the first-team.
“I then played in the preseason with them, it was the year I scored a goal, had a lot of call ups. I felt good. Pellegrini had a lot of confidence in me, it’s true.”
The youngster also talked about the change of manager, and what it was like working under Pep Guardiola during the preseason prior to his loan move to Alaves.
He said: “It excited me a lot. I learnt a lot and when the preseason finished, we decided a loan would be best to get minutes because it would be difficult to get them there.”
Unfortunately for the youngster, he is yet to make an appearance for Alaves as things stand, but the season is long, and there’s always an opportunity around the corner.
