Ipswich sensation Liam Delap was called a 'killer' by Pep Guardiola and is being tipped as Harry Kane’s England successor - so why did Man City let him go?!

Even before his brilliant solo equaliser against Aston Villa and his match-winning displays against Tottenham and Chelsea, the mere mention of the name Delap stirred emotions among fans of the Barclays era of the Premier League. Liam is the son of Rory Delap, Stoke City’s not-so-secret weapon known for his ridiculous ability to launch the ball from throw-ins.

After retiring Rory became a youth coach at Derby County and Liam joined him there before moving to City in 2019 at the age of 16 after being scouted by Joe Shields, City's head of academy recruitment who had also brought Jadon Sancho and Jamie Gittens to the club among a host of young talents who would go on to great things after leaving the City academy.

A look at the team sheet from an FA Youth Cup tie against Burnley - in which Delap scored the only goal - showcases the ridiculously talented young squad City had at the time, featuring Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and James McAtee. Delap was later promoted to the under-23 team despite still being 17, where he played with Romeo Lavia and under future Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca.

And as City have toiled during a nightmare season in which they have staged a pathetic defence of their Premier League title and flirted with an embarrassing exit from the Champions League, many have wondered whether or not they made a huge mistake in cashing in on their talented youngsters rather than promoting them to the first team.

But while the likes of Lavia and Rogers never made a senior appearance for City, Delap did at least get a taste of the action in Pep Guardiola's side, albeit very briefly. Delap played a grand total of 180 minutes for the City first team, making two cameo appearances in the Premier League against Leicester City and Norwich City.

He scored in the only game he started in, against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup in an empty Etihad Stadium due to Covid-19 restrictions. A year later he earned a penalty from which Raheem Sterling scored on the rebound in a 4-0 drubbing of Norwich City. That same season he found the net in an FA Cup win against Fulham only for the goal to be ruled offside.

Guardiola's comments after the Fulham game must have given Delap hope of more opportunities at the club as the coach said the teenager was "the type of striker we don’t have". The Catalan added: "He is a killer, a typical British striker, an incredible finisher. He has a special quality. He is a different type of striker."

Delap might have gotten more opportunities that season, in which City often played without a centre-forward, had he not missed five months with an ankle injury. But his chances of making it at the club were dealt a brutal blow when City signed Erling Haaland that summer, prompting Delap to gain more senior experience on loan.

He first moved to Stoke where his father was assistant coach, although they only worked together for half a season. Delap spent the latter half of the campaign at Preston North End but it was not until he moved to Hull City last season that he really found his feet, scoring seven times in his first five months while playing off the right of the attack.

Disaster struck in January though when he injured his knee, missing the next three months. He scored one further goal to finish the campaign with eight strikes and he has already equalled that tally with Ipswich, playing as a centre-forward in Kieran McKenna's side.

Delap has adapted seamlessly to the new role, becoming the focal point of an Ipswich side that failed to win any of their first 10 games of the season but then won three of their next nine, with Delap helping them take down Chelsea and Tottenham.

The Ipswich boss explained: "He has evolved his game over the last 18 months. I think from when he came in for pre-season, we were surprised how good his back-to-goal game was. He filled out and his body has developed a lot in the last 12 months. He takes on information well and can apply things well, so I think it has been a pleasant surprise how high his learning capacity is, how he can implement things and how open he is to discussing his game and improving. They are good ingredients for a young player."

All-time Premier League top scorer Alan Shearer has also been impressed with Delap’s feats this season. “He’s gone toe-to-toe with some big-named players already this season and he likes a scrap and a fight and a battle and I don’t think there’s any harm in that,” he told Amazon Prime. “He's got a bit of everything can run the channels doesnt mind coming short doesnt mind coming head to head with centre halves most importantly he's got the goals to his name. And he's been out on loan; he's not had everything his way."

Delap’s scoring feats have put him in the top 14 Premier League goalscorers and in the top four of English scorers, behind Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins and James Maddison. And that has naturally meant he is in the conversation for the England team, two months before Thomas Tuchel names his first squad as Three Lions boss for the March World Cup qualifiers.

"I think he can be an important player for England," said Chelsea boss Maresca. "I think we spent one year together and he scored [about] 22 to 24 goals. He is a very good striker. England have many good players, many good strikers [but] he's working hard off the ball and on the ball, understands the game and can score goals."

Danny Murphy has even claimed he should be taking the baton from Kane when the England captain, 31, decides to quit international football. "I've seen him quite a lot this season and I'd probably go as far as I say, for me, he is the obvious long-term successor to Kane," he said. "I think he's the best young English striker out there. I know he's got a bit to learn and wisdom comes with experience and game time in this league. But he's got all the attributes to be a top international player."

Delap represented England at the under-20 World Cup in 2023 and is a regular for Lee Carsley’s under-21 team. He scored twice in seven appearances in the European Championship qualifying campaign and will expect to play in this summer’s tournament in Slovakia unless he is already a full international by then.

Delap has also outscored every player at City this season except Erling Haaland. Indeed he has doubled the tally of the club’s second-top scorer Josko Gvardiol. Guardiola has been impressed with how he has progressed since leaving The Etihad although there is no hint of any regret in letting him depart. "When he was here, we always thought he was a typical striker for the Premier League, and he's doing really well," the City boss said on Friday. "We are happy for him! Many players come from Man City's academy, they are set up perfectly for the Premier League."

City fans would be entitled to ask why Delap could not push his way into Guardiola’s first team. And the answer is that the bar at City is higher than almost anywhere else. Phil Foden is the only attacking player to make the leap from the academy to becoming a first team regular at the Etihad Stadium, while Rico Lewis has also made huge strides but is still not an undisputed starter in his third season. To make it you need to be both precociously talented and enjoy a bit of luck. Delap had the misfortune of getting injured in the one season when City had few strikers available but he is in fine company in not quite making the grade, yet going on to have a spectacular career elsewhere.

And it is surely only a matter of time before he joins Foden, Lewis, Palmer, Rogers and Harwood-Bellis in the England squad. Perhaps Ed Sheeran, who visited the Three Lions camp during Euro 2024, could break the news of his first call-up to him. But now the Premier League knows exactly what Guardiola knew three years ago: Delap is a natural-born killer and on Sunday he will have his old club in his sights.