‘Nothing worse than’ - Cavan Sullivan warned of Man City transfer mistake he must avoid as ex-USMNT star Freddy Adu draws up loan roadmap for teenage wonderkid

Given that he will arrive at the Etihad Stadium with no experience of European competition to his name, City are being tipped to aid that development process by immediately passing Sullivan on to another club. It has been suggested that he could head to the Netherlands.

Various alternative landing spots could be considered, with there a chance that the youngster could remain in the EFL and drop down into the Championship - giving him an early taste of what life in England is all about. Wherever he ends up, Sullivan has been informed of what he needs to take from a stint outside of Manchester.

Adu knows all about the pressure of bursting onto the scene as a precociously-gifted teenager and trying to forge a career in Europe after leaving home comforts in the United States. Asked if Sullivan will be loaned out by City and how that process needs to play out, Adu - speaking exclusively to GOAL courtesy of top casino affiliate side Casino Zonder Cruks - said: “I do think that's what's going to happen. I do think that he will go on loan. But when he does go on loan, I really hope that it's to a team that he will be a regular starter for. 

“There's nothing worse than a young player going on loan to a team, to a, quote-unquote, lesser team than the team you're being loaned from and not playing or being a regular starter. Because the whole point of going on loan is so that you become a regular starter. You get the minutes you need to get the experience you need and you develop as a player while doing all those things. 

“If you do go on loan and you're not doing all those things, what is the point of that loan? Because I could just stay in that team and not play. I could just stay in my parent team and not play.”

Adu added on Sullivan potentially linking up with a second-tier outfit in England: “As a player, you cannot think that you're too big to go on loan to any team in the Championship from Man City or a smaller team. That's exactly what you need as a player at that point.”

City may decide to let Sullivan stay in the States, either with the Philadelphia Union or their sister club New York City FC. Adu is, however, of the opinion that the hottest of prospects needs to familiarise himself with the demands of the European game as quickly as possible.

Adu - who, like Sullivan, made his MLS debut at the age of 14 - went on to say: “Well, if he's going to leave, if he's going to leave Philly and go to Manchester City, I think at that point it'll be better for him so that he gets that European football experience. I think it's better for him to get loaned to a European team, a team in Europe somewhere at that point. 

“But don't rule out getting loaned to a team in MLS. The only reason that I would say that is because he just needs to get that European football experience. Because it's different. This will also be the first time that he's going to be away from the States or away from his family, away from home and whatnot. You have to adapt. You do. You have to adapt to the European lifestyle and the European culture and everything. And that is just as hard.

“Everything's different. There's so much pressure on the coaches over there. There's so much pressure on the front offices and whatnot. You have to win. Over there, you don't win, you get fired. You don't win, the team can get relegated. So there's a lot of different things going on at that point. 

“Here in America, it's set up differently. There is no relegation at this point. You can come in last place and there's no, quote-unquote, consequences to that. You just get ready and you come back for the next season and try and win it again. 

“So it's a little different dynamic. And the coaches are under so much pressure that it filters through the team. You can feel it. You can see the pressure on the coach’s face. You can feel it as a player. And that's what I think, he needs that experience. He needs to experience that to know that every single game counts.”

Sullivan will not be turning 18 until September 2027, meaning that he still has 18 months in which to see more regular game time with the Philadelphia Union and ready himself for the challenges that are to come - both domestically and internationally, with the plan being to earn senior recognition with the USMNT at some point in the not too distant future.