“I would’ve stayed” – Former Manchester City forward admits regret over Etihad Stadium transfer | OneFootball

Former Manchester City forward Felix Correia has admitted to regret over making the move to the Etihad Stadium club earlier in his career.

Upon joining the Premier League giants in 2019 after nine years developing within the Sporting youth system, Manchester City initiated a loan agreement that would see Correia join Jong AZ for the 2019/20 campaign.

Ending the season with 23 appearances featuring three goals and five assists to his name, Correia’s stock remained relatively high and as such attracted attention from Serie A giants Juventus only the following summer after joining City.

Having agreed to sign Felix Correia on a five-year deal in the summer market of 2020, Manchester City and Juventus reached an agreement that would see Pablo Moreno join the Premier League club in part-exchange.

However, speaking during a recent conversation with O Jogo, as translated by Sport Witness, Felix Correia reflected on his association with Manchester City by insisting that he would have opted to remain at Sporting CP for longer rather than moving to the Etihad Stadium in 2019.

“I would have stayed,” the 23-year-old admitted. “But these are completely different times, there is a different focus, a different structure, which sees Sporting’s future differently. Today, yes, I would have stayed.”

Looking back on his own decision making at the time, the Gil Vicente forward explained, “My mindset was completely different and it helped me a lot to go abroad, live alone and have other experiences in my life, not just on the field.”

He continued, “I think that was very important. In other words, I am a completely different Felix today.”

Manchester City have maintained their long-standing pursuit of the best young talents within the game to this day and, alongside work from the wider City Football Group, they don’t appear to have any intention of slowing any time soon.

In the upcoming January transfer window, it is widely expected that Claudio Echeverri will become the latest young name to link-up with Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad, arriving from River Plate following the conclusion of a loan deal with the Argentine giants.