- Joleon Lescott revealed who Palmer often would not pass to in Man City training
- He also explained what this trait made Pep Guardiola realise about the star
- Cole Palmer left City for Chelsea last summer in pursuit of more game time
Cole Palmer boldly refused to pass to one particular Manchester City player in training during his time at the club, Joleon Lescott has claimed.
The England star left Man City last summer to join Chelsea for £42.5million after 13 years with the club, having joined them at the age of eight.
Pep Guardiola has previously admitted that he perhaps did not reward Palmer with the minutes he ‘deserved’ and the star cited the ‘platform to showcase my talents’ as a reason for leaving the champions.
Lescott, who was a development coach with City, has revealed that Guardiola nevertheless had a revelation about Palmer when he refused to suck up to one superstar in training.
‘Pep knew Palmer had something special because he doesn’t pass to Kevin De Bruyne when he asks for the ball,’ Lescott told the High Performance Podcast.
Cole Palmer did not always pass to Kevin De Bruyne when he demanded the ball in Manchester City training, Joleon Lescott has revealed
Pep Guardiola realised that Palmer ‘had something special’ because he refused De Bruyne
‘Pep knew he had personality because in training if young lads come up, and then Kevin shouts for the ball, even if it’s not on [for a pass], they would try to pass to him.
‘Cole doesn’t do that. If there’s something better on for Cole and the team, that’s what’s happening, not that Kevin needs the ball.’
Lescott played for City between 2009 and 2014, winning two Premier League titles.
Palmer’s eye for the right pass was certainly beneficial for Chelsea last season as alongside his 27 goals he also contributed 15 assists.
He did not have the greatest chance to show his abilities at Euro 2024, being limited to appearances off the bench, but scored a stunning goal in the final to equalise against Spain before England went on to lose 2-1.
The 22-year-old also assisted Ollie Watkins’ late winner in the semi-final against the Netherlands with an incisive pass.
During last season, Guardiola opened up on the youngster’s exit from City.
Other young players ‘would try and pass to’ De Bruyne even if it ‘wasn’t on,’ Lescott claimed
Lescott was speaking about his time coaching at City on the High Performance Podcast
‘He’s an exceptional player. I said many times, I didn’t give him the minutes that maybe he deserved, and now he has at Chelsea,’ he said.
‘I understand completely. He’s a shy guy with a lot of potential. It is what it is. He was asking for two seasons to leave and I said stay. He said he wanted to leave. What could we do?’
