Manchester City faces Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals this evening, with Pep Guardiola forced to drop Cole Palmer following another poor performance last time out.
It was hoped that the 20-year-old academy graduate would be able to follow in the footsteps of Phil Foden by making a big impression on the first team as a teenager but Palmer has done little in his senior appearances to suggest that he has a promising future with the Citizens.
Since breaking into the senior side, the winger has made 28 appearances, in which he has contributed just three goals and one assist, all of which came last term.
It was hoped that he could push on and play more of a part throughout 2022/23, especially with the summer exit of fellow left-winger Raheem Sterling, but Palmer has failed to register a single goal or assist in 15 first-team appearances.
His performances in the Premier League 2 last season, which saw him manage eight goals and four assists in just eight outings emphasizes that he is far too good to be playing youth football, but equally, he doesn’t look ready to be a regular in Guardiola’s side just yet, and could perhaps benefit from a loan away from the club.
Last weekend saw the England U21 international handed a rare start against Chelsea in the FA Cup but despite City’s complete domination in the 4-0 win, Palmer was something of a letdown.
According to Sofascore, the kid received a dismal 6.0/10 rating for his performance, easily ranking him as the poorest City player on the day.
Guardiola handed Palmer 90 minutes but he failed with all four of his dribble attempts, missed one big chance, and lost possession 19 times in what was an extremely under-par display.
With City having struggled against Southampton in recent seasons, failing to beat them home or away in the Premier League last season, Guardiola should pick a strong side for the game on the south coast this evening, and that means dropping Palmer from the starting XI.
While Paul Dickov was full of praise for Palmer’s “outstanding” performance against Swindon in the FA Cup last season, if the 20-year-old doesn’t start producing more against tougher opposition, it may not be long until we see him leave the Etihad for good.
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