Pep Guardiola talks up ‘lovely lad’ Cole Palmer and claims he ‘knew’ Chelsea 'star player' was destined for greatness before letting him leave Man City

The 21-year-old swapped City for the Blues last summer for £42.5 million ($53.4m) after finding his game time at the Etihad extremely limited. The England international has arguably been Chelsea's best player this season, scoring 12 goals and bagging nine assists in all competitions. Ahead of the west London outfit taking on the defending Premier League champions on Saturday, manager Guardiola has spoken glowingly about his former charge.

The Spaniard told reporters on Friday: "If he [Palmer] plays regularly, yes [I knew he would perform well]. I didn't have any doubts about his quality. The way he's playing is a star player. He wanted the minutes, it was a question of time to show his immense quality.

"Cole Palmer is an exceptional player and a lovely lad and of course I wish him well at Chelsea."

Palmer played just 41 times for City after making his first-team debut in September 2020. Just six of those were starts so when Chelsea came along offering a seven-year contract and the chance of regular game time, he leapt at the opportunity. And the move has worked out for all parties.

After the clash between second-placed City and mid-table Chelsea at the Etihad on Saturday evening, the Blues take on Liverpool in the final of the Carabao Cup on February 25 whereas City host Brentford in the Premier League on Tuesday.