Paolo Fernandes has thanked Manchester City in a farewell message confirming his departure.
Fernandes, 22, moved to the Etihad as a 16-year-old and impressed in the academy with a particularly productive 2016/17 season playing for the Under-23s earning him a prize at the club's end-of-year awards and a loan move to NAC Breda.
The attacking midfielder was at the Dutch club for two years before a spell at Perugia last season and has now left the Blues without having made a competitive appearance for them to look for a new opportunity.
"I’ll forever be grateful to Man City for the opportunity they gave me when I was only 14-15 years old, I’ve learned a lot and grew as a person," he wrote on Instagram.
"After my last 3 loans at some different clubs and not being very lucky with injuries, we think it's time for me to try to get some new fresh air and move on to keep growing.
"Thanks for all this years [sic]."
City's new EDS coach Enzo Maresca will take charge of his first game in the Premier League 2 at home to Derby County on September 12.
Maresca, who was Manuel Pellegrini's assistant at West Ham for a period, continues a summer of change within the academy that has also seen a new Under-18s boss appointed after Gareth Taylor moved to take charge of the women's team, as well as new heads of coaching overseeing the Under-9s to Under-14s age groups and the Under-15s to Under-23s.
