Revealed: Man City winger Savinho Under-14s coach was sacked after leaving teenage wonderkid on bench

Savinho has been one of few bright sparks at Manchester City this season as the defending Premier League champions have struggled for consistency from the start. The Cityzens signed the winger from sister team Girona for a reported fee of £21 million ($26m) last summer and Savinho has made 29 appearances for the side.

Savinho's former coach, Joao Paulo Alves de Paula, has revealed to The Sun that Atletico Mineiro sacked the winger's U14 coach for benching the uber-talented winger constantly as he did not like the starlet. The top brass of the Brazilian club were afraid of losing Savinho to another club if he wasn't happy and therefore proceeded to part ways with the coach immediately.

Speaking to The Sun, De Paula said: “Savio was in a group of 20 kids and the only one we picked. He was only 12, a year younger than the others but overwhelmingly the best. Back then Atletico Mineiro did not have an Under-12s, so he was against older kids from the start. And he stood out above everyone. When I saw him on trials day I almost fell over. His technical ability and dribbling were extraordinary for a child of that age. I was so excited to see him with the ball at his feet.

“Over the next three years he took huge strides, made decisions in seconds and finished like an adult — all with boundless confidence and a smile. But it wasn’t all a walk down the red carpet because when Savio moved to the Under-14s, the coach just didn’t like him. He kept leaving him on the bench. He barely played and when he did, it was at left-back. My hair was standing on end.

“Savio can play on either side but he’s a winger. I couldn’t believe what the coach was doing. That mistake, that lack of judgment, could have cost Savinho his football career and seriously damaged the club. So, with such crazy things and wrong decisions, the coach was fired and I took over the Under-14s. The smile was back on Savio’s face.”

The Brazilian has quickly become a favourite for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and will be in action next when they take on Arsenal in the Premier League later today, in what could be a crucial clash for both sides.