Manchester City’s newest starlet Tommy Doyle says his mother was moved to tears when she learned he was maintaining a family legacy by making his debut on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old midfielder is the grandson of two City greats , Glyn Pardoe and the late Mike Doyle.
The youngest member of the clan was thrown in from the start by Pep Guardiola and played the full 90 minutes in City’s 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Southampton alongside fellow academy product Phil Foden in midfield.
"It was something I have worked really hard for," Doyle told City’s official website .
"My mum started crying when I told her I was playing and my dad was just buzzing - I spoke with my granddad as well and he was very calm because he's done it all before.
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"It's just fantastic to carry on the Doyle legacy.”
While the likes of Eric Garcia and Angelino were also rotated into the side, Doyle made his debut alongside a number of first-team players including Sergio Aguero, Bernardo Silva, Nicolas Otamendi and Gabriel Jesus.
After a solid performance which drew praise from boss Guardiola , Doyle said the more experienced members of the squad had made life easy for him on the night.
“I’m used to watching guys like Bernardo and Phil as a fan, so to play with them is fantastic… it means so much,” he added.
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“Guys like Bernardo, Phil and the other guys… they make it easy for you. You give them the ball and keep it simple. You don’t need to overdo things.
“Being with them, they give you a lot of information and make it easy.
“They have also shown me that it’s important to go out and work hard and let your football do the talking.”
With City safely through to the quarter-final stage, they will find out their next Carabao Cup opponents when the draw is made on Thursday morning.
With Tottenham already out and two of Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal set to be eliminated in Wednesday’s fixtures, City will be confident of retaining the crown they earned with a memorable penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea back in February.
As City are likely to prioritise the Premier League and Champions League as the season continues to take a toll on their injury-hit squad, Doyle will know he is in with a chance of featuring in the quarter-finals, whoever City are set to play.
“I just want to listen and learn and from everyone here to keep pushing and developing,” he added.
“I’m going to keep working hard, keep listening to every bit of information from the staff and players
“And it’s definitely given me the hunger and taste to keep pushing on and learning.”
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