Paul Lake - on City's youth players

City legend Paul Lake has admitted that it would bring a tear to his eye to see one of the Blues’ current crop of bright young prospects don the famous sky blue in the Premier League for the first time.

As we count down to the under-18s FA Youth Cup Final first leg against Chelsea, Lakey - who won the coveted trophy in 1986 alongside an equally exciting team of locally developed players - can’t wait to see some of the club’s prospects make the step up to the first team.

He tells the Manchester Evening News:

““I am longing for that day when Brandon (Barker), or Tosin (Adarabioyo) or Kean (Bryan) – or any one of those boys - pulls on that blue shirt and steps out.

““It will be an emotional day for them and their families, but it will also be emotional for me, as it means so much to get someone in

““The most exciting part for me is that when that home-grown player gets in there, especially if he a Manchester lad, it will give the stadium a lift – the Etihad will rise a foot off the floor because it will mean so much to everyone in the stadium to see that one of our own has got in.

““They will be given more time to settle in, they will get the patience, and then it’s about how it gets managed – but luckily we have good, wise people at City, and then it’s down to the player to take the chance.”

“Like many City fans, Lake has been annoyed by the popular perception that this City youth team is stocked with foreigners.

““I was asked on social media, in a disparaging way, how many of our youth team are English – I replied ‘Never mind that, how many of them are Mancunian?!

““There are a heck of a lot of boys from Manchester in that squad, which is really exciting, and one or two of them have experience of being in the first team environment.

“My chance of getting into the first team was a totally different entity to those of Brandon, Tosin or Kean.

““It’s so much more difficult for those boys, but if the belief is there, which it is, and there is a connection with the club, the community and the player - and some of these boys are from Manchester and are City fans as well – you put that into the mix.

““And then you step it up so you are in the environment of training day in, day out with Silva, Toure, Aguero, Kolarov - players with technical brilliance - so you will raise their standards. Put good players in that mix and they will get better.

““I am just hopeful more and more that the boys get a chance. We don’t know, as fans, what the model and structure is. But the people at City are experienced and knowledgeable, and are doing things for the right reasons, to get boys into our first team.””

And you can see how the Blues’ exciting youngsters get on against Chelsea this Monday at the Academy Stadium - tickets available now.