Cole Palmer has long been touted as one of the next big talents Manchester cityPRODUCT LINE – He showed exactly why in the sweltering heat and humidity of Athens as his team won the UEFA Super Cup.
The 21-year-old from Wythenshaw, who has admired clubs outside Manchester as well as City, has received the stamp of approval from near and far as Pep Guardiola’s side added their latest piece of silverware to last season’s Champions League trophy, the Premier League. and the FA Cup.
He scored City’s equalizer with a deft header just after the hour mark, displaying the lackluster skills that saw him score a fine goal in Community Shield against Arsenal at Wembley.
as his side He came from behind to win 5-4 on penalties After an entertaining encounter with Sevilla that ended in a 1-1 draw, Palmer earned praise.
Appreciation came from afar Kingdom of Saudi Arabia In the form of a tweet from Riyad Mahrez from Al-Ahly, one of his illustrious predecessors at Manchester City, about the right-wing role he occupied in Athens.
Mahrez tweeted applause when Palmer, who was named man of the match, was substituted.
Palmer also earned a hug from his idealistic director after a performance that hinted at the special talent he could become under Catalan’s expert tutelage.
There was talk of interest from West Ham United team While City is chasing its Brazilian star Lucas Paquetabut it was this show that suggested Palmer could do big things when surrounded by this special squad at Etihad Stadium.
However, Guardiola suggested England The future of the under-21 international at the club remained uncertain.
“I don’t know [if he will stay]said the city chief. “When we arrived, I had an opinion that he wanted to leave but now I don’t know.
“I don’t think the loan will happen. It will stay or it will be sold.
“He showed character – it’s not easy to play like defenders [Marcos] Akuna – Young player At these stages it’s not easy. He played well and set up a great goal too.”
Guardiola had nothing to do with some of the accounts from elsewhere that the UEFA Super Cup meeting was a glorified friendly – Europe’s version of the Community Shield.
Sights at Seville Nemanja Gudelli Crashing a penalty against the crossbar to give City the win after nine successful kicks was clear evidence of that.
The celebrations were full, a beaming Guardiola kissing theatrically Erling Halland As he paraded the trophy to the City fans, rejoicing at achieving his second major European trophy in a matter of months after waiting so long to lift the Champions League.
Guardiola and City wanted this trophy as further confirmation that they were now in a strong position among Europe’s footballing elite – and it proved.
It didn’t come without a lot of sweat – literally on this steamy night in Athens – and some great work from the goalkeeper Edersonwhich he repelled from the top scorer of Sevilla Youssef Al-Nusairi Preventing the reigning Spanish champions from doubling their lead in the second half was a defining moment.
Palmer is comfortable in upscale company
City left Greece with a big cloud on the horizon after a hugely pessimistic Guardiola revealed on Tuesday that great Belgian Kevin De Bruyne could be out for three or four months if he needed surgery with a “serious” hamstring injury.
City’s creative powers have already been diminished by the departure of Mahrez, the great winner and former captain Ilkay Gundogan. So removing De Bruyne from his resources was a problem he could do without.
It is likely that he will look outside his team to solve the immediate problem, with Paqueta being a prime target and Ren He also promoted forward Jeremy Duco.
But Guardiola made no attempt to hide the damage De Bruyne’s prolonged absence could cause.
The midfielder’s prolific supply line to Haaland, who set up 11 of his impressive total of 52 goals last season, was key to the club’s success and will be without his golden touch and creativity until he returns to fitness.
Guardiola will look at how to make up for De Bruyne’s absence with his usual forensic attention to detail and his track record suggests he will consider every option to ensure City remain the unstoppable force of recent seasons.
This could mean more opportunities for Palmer – if he stays – as every inch looked like a player ready to take his game to the next level.
He was comfortable and confident in such a prestigious company with his ability to get past players, deliver enticing crosses from outside which have been a rich source of goals for City – and get the goalscoring record himself.
As the City players performed a tour of honor and the pitch at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium was littered with golden ribbon ribbons of celebration, Palmer wore a satisfied smile for a job well done and well deserved.
The big question now is: where will he continue his football education?