Manchester City’s EDS coach Brian Barry-Murphy has already hinted why the club might not have seen the last of Carlos Borges.
Portuguese winger Borges is one of the top talents in City’s youth set-up, but he now looks set to leave the club on a permanent transfer.
On Wednesday morning Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Borges will join Ajax in a £17m move.
The Dutch giants hijacked West Ham’s efforts to sign the 19-year-old attacker, with the player undergoing his medical late on Tuesday night.
Although Borges is yet to make a senior appearance, the £17m fee should not come as a huge surprise.
The ‘exceptional’ Sintra-born talent – who joined City’s academy set up from Sporting CP in 2015 – has exploded over the last few years.
Last season he scored 21 goals and provided 11 assists in just 24 league appearances as City won the Premier League 2 title.
As tends to be the case when City sell an academy graduate, the treble winners have inserted a buy-back clause into the deal.
High praise fo Borges
It leaves open the possibility that Borges could one day make his senior City debut, although his sensational stats won’t be the only reason why.
Speaking in October after City beat Derby County in the Papa Johns Trophy, City EDS coach Brian Barry-Murphy said of Borges:” I think all aspects of his game tonight were really good.
“I suppose the boring bit in terms of his work rate for the team and the way he performed is parts of his game which are a huge development area for him.
“So to see him do that and get his rewards off the back of that is big for me because it adds substance to the fact you need to play for the team and then you will get your rewards.
“To see the team score so many goals off the back of so many disciplined performances is great for us.”
After Borges’ two-goal display earned City EDS a 3-1 win against Liverpool in February, Barry-Murphy again praised Borges:
“He’s improving that side of his game (finishing) all the time and for me his performance today was full of leadership qualities with how he played for the team and helped protect Tom Galvez at the back when he needed helping.”
City certainly know what Borges is capable of – don’t be surprised if he one day returns to the club.
