Leaving my childhood club was tough, but I think both Pep Guardiola and I knew it was the right time and the right thing to do' James McAtee opens up on his Manchester City exit

"I'm getting older now, and it was time to play and get my name out there. That meant telling perhaps the greatest manager of the modern game that he wanted to leave, despite Pep Guardiola wanting to keep the midfielder at the club."

"Leaving my childhood club was tough, but I think we both knew it was the right time and the right thing to do, he says. It wasn't a tough decision in the end. Most people know it was the right one."

"Cole has done it because he's a great player, but you can say the same about most academy players from City who've gone on to do well, he says. Morgan Rogers and Liam Delap have done very well, so it wasn't Cole, but looking at the other lads, and lads I played with for England, getting minutes every week."

James McAtee left Manchester City after a 12-year spell to join Nottingham Forest on a permanent deal worth about £30 million. He sought regular first-team football and a chance to raise his profile after captaining England Under-21s to the European Championship. McAtee informed Pep Guardiola of his decision despite Guardiola wanting to keep him at the club. The departure reflects Manchester City's difficulty providing consistent minutes to many academy prospects at a squad filled with world-class talent. Similar academy graduates such as Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Liam Delap also moved to pursue weekly game time and development.

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