Joleon Lescott has claimed that Cole Palmer will be desperate to play a more prominent role for Manchester City this season.
After scoring City’s goal in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the Community Shield last weekend, the Englishman came on as a substitute in the 80th minute of last night’s 3-0 Premier League win over Burnley.
With the season now underway, one former City star has had his say on how the winger will be feeling about his place in Pep Guardiola’s squad.
Lescott says Palmer will be itching to play regularly
Speaking in a pre-match live stream ahead of the Burnley match on the club’s YouTube channel, Lescott had this to say when asked if he hopes to see Palmer and James McAtee play regularly this season.
He said: “Definitely. Obviously Cole contributed in the Charity Shield, Macca was consistent in pre-season. I’m sure if they’re given opportunities they’ll produce and perform.
“It’s just a bit of patient game now for both of them. Probably a bit more for Macca if I’m honest because he’s played a whole season, whereas Cole is still itching to get regular football, where for Macca he’s played a lot so to transition into a lesser role for the first team will probably be a little bit hard for him to do that.”
Last season saw the 21-year-old feature in 14 Premier League games, starting two of them but failing to score a goal and only delivering one assist, which came in his first league start in the 1-0 win over Chelsea in May after the Citizens were crowned as champions.
Back in March, the Englishman admitted that he didn’t feel he had played to his highest level, which will surely add to his motivation in terms of making the most of his chances this time around.
Also, with Riyad Mahrez now not at the club, this could clear a path for Palmer, who has previously been hailed for his “outstanding” performances by Paul Dickov, to get even more minutes in the team.
Moving forward, if the winger wants to become a regular figure in Guardiola’s side, he’ll have to raise his performances levels and start delivering goals and assists to really make a case.
