Manchester City kickstarted their pre-season campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Preston North End at the Academy Stadium on Tuesday night.
Goals from Riyad Mahrez and Samuel Edozie saw a stretched City side get their preparations off to a winning start as they look ahead to the start of the Premier League campaign.
Pep Guardiola named a relatively inexperienced team for the clash against the Championship outfit, as only Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Fernandinho, Nathan Ake, Mahrez and Zak Steffen featured from the first-team squad.
However, it was in fact the performance of one particular youngster that caught the eye. Cole Palmer has only ever played two competitive matches in a City shirt but his impact against the Lilywhites could suggest that he will be in for many more in the future.
The 19-year-old was among many of last season’s Under 23s title-winning side who were involved and he was impressive throughout his time on the pitch as he made some intelligent runs and seemed composed whilst in possession.
He was heavily involved in setting up the chance for Mahrez score after he darted behind the Preston defence before playing a clever pass into Morgan Rogers’ path who won the free-kick in a very dangerous position.
Although he should’ve got on the scoresheet when he fired over from Benjamin Mendy’s cut-back mid-way through the first-half, it was an encouraging display from Palmer who gained the credit on some supporters.
One City fan suggested that Palmer plays “like he’s been a Premier League player for years”, whilst another said that he “has got all the tools – plus a (nice) arrogance about him”.
Palmer’s record last season was nothing short of sensational, scoring 13 goals and chipping in with six assists in 18 Premier League 2 appearances as City’s youngsters went onto win the division by 14 points.
Rogers and goalscorer Edozie also did themselves no harm at all with their performances and have shown glimpses that they can replicate that on the biggest stage, whilst James McAtee and Iker Pozo looked assured when they were called upon.
With growing speculation surrounding Jack Grealish and Harry Kane’s potential moves to the Blues, the performance of some of their Academy graduates might make Guardiola chose to put faith in those about to break through, rather than opt to spend big money on transfers this summer.
Phil Foden was the only product of the City Academy to play at least 10 times in the first-team last term, but the wealth of young talent shouldn’t be overlooked, especially given their start to pre-season, albeit it was against Preston.
It’s been reported that Kane and Grealish could cost up to £200 million combined if City purchased the pair, and although Palmer and Rogers, for example, haven’t reached those heights just yet, they have the potential to shine and using them could be a smart alternative should those deals fall through.
Guardiola has previously stated that he has kept a close eye on the development of the club's youth system and now could be the perfect time for the City boss to trust them, including Palmer who he also mentioned before their Youth Cup final last season.
Speaking to the MEN in November 2020, Guardiola said: "There are six, seven interesting players that we can count on and trust a lot and as the club we want to help them develop. Maybe they can help in the future."
There was some uncertainty as to whether Palmer would feature in the game as the Blues reported a small Covid-19 outbreak in the club’s Under 23s and Under 18s squad, but the midfielder would’ve showed a negative test alongside the other youngsters to feature.
Therefore, Palmer is likely to be in contention to play when the Blues entertain Barnsley this weekend in their final pre-season game before the Community Shield against Leicester at Wembley on August 7.
