One of the biggest errors that Manchester City have made in recent years was to sell Cole Palmer. Since the Wythenshawe-born superstar left the Etihad Stadium in search of first-team opportunities, he has become one of the most exciting players to watch in Europe.
After making the move to West London outfit Chelsea in the summer of 2023, Palmer has scored 39 goals and grabbed 21 assists in 73 games. For City, opportunities were few and far between for the England international. He made 41 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring six goals and registering two assists.
He is not the only player to have excelled after leaving City. Morgan Rogers is another example.
Rogers’ record since leaving Man City
There is a saying that goes, ‘the grass isn’t always greener’, but that is not something Rogers can relate to concerning his decision to leave the Etihad Stadium. After moving to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2023, he moved to Aston Villa in January 2024, for an initial £8m, which could almost double with add-ons.
Just like Palmer has for Chelsea, the attacking midfielder, who was born in Halesowen, has been simply sensational for Unai Emery’s side. As Jamie Carragher described him, Rogers has been “unstoppable” in a Villa shirt.
This season, the 22-year-old has played 35 games, scoring 11 goals and grabbing six assists across all competitions. That includes a Champions League hat trick against Celtic and a goal and assist in a 2-1 win over City in the Premier League.
That one must have stung Pep Guardiola. Erling Haaland aside, Rogers actually has more combined goals and assists in all competitions than any other City player this season. His 17 goal involvements would rank him second, with Phil Foden the next nearest with 15.
Surely City wish they had kept Rogers, given his impressive form in a Villa shirt. Luckily, Guardiola might get a second chance at utilising a player of his profile, in the form of an up-and-coming academy star.
The Rogers-esque academy star
City’s academy have produced some excellent players over the years. Of course, two of those are Palmer and Rogers, who have been superb since leaving the club. Other talents are still playing for the Premier League champions, the likes of Phil Foden and Rico Lewis.
Perhaps the next youngster off this impressive conveyor belt of talent will be 17-year-old midfielder Divine Mukasa. He has impressed so far for the City academy and has previously been compared to Rogers.
Football scout The Next Wave explained that Mukasa has a “unicorn blend” of “size & technical ability”. They compared him to Rogers, explaining that a player of that profile is someone City are “screaming out for” at the moment.
Mukasa’s form for City’s under-18s this season has been extraordinary. The 17-year-old has been on fire across age groups, and has 13 goals and 21 assists in 27 games. In the under-18s Premier League, the midfielder has 12 goals and 13 assists in 14 appearances.
One of his best performances in a City shirt so far came last season, in the UEFA Youth League against Red Star under-19s. As per Sofascore, he created two chances and won four out of six ground duels, showing a good range of skills in midfield.
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Mukasa stats vs. Red Star (2023/24 season) |
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|---|---|
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Stat |
Number |
|
Minutes played |
62 |
|
Touches |
31 |
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Pass accuracy |
76% |
|
Ground duels won |
4/6 |
|
Chances created |
2 |
|
Tackles won |
2/2 |
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Dribbles completed |
1/1 |
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Stats from Sofascore |
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Football scout Ben Mattinson described Mukasa as someone with “UCL level potential”. He is an exciting prospect for City, who might be someone who breaks through in the next few seasons, or even sooner if the opportunity arises.
Guardiola lost his chance with Rogers, who has gone on to do great things away from, and against the club. He will surely be hoping to integrate Makasa sooner rather than later, given how good he could be for the Citizens.
