""I learnt a lot when I was at City - it's a completely different world to anything most footballers experience," he told BBC Look East. "People think it's a bit easier being in the lower leagues. But when you've come through an academy, even the best academy in the world, you're not accustomed to how hard men's football actually is.""
""It was difficult [to leave], to go from a world that's hard to imagine unless you're in it," he said. "You walk into the changing room and people like [Kevin] De Bruyne are there, superstars. Even little things like the food you eat and the transport you will get a flight to an FA Youth Cup game. Academies don't have that unless you're at the top.""
Ben Knight made his senior debut at Wembley in the 74th minute of the 2021 Community Shield for Manchester City against Leicester City. He struggled to break into a City first team featuring major forwards and played mainly in under-21 EFL Trophy matches. Knight left for an unfulfilling spell in Spain before returning to his birth city to join Cambridge United and focus on a promotion push. He learned from the elite environment at City, noted stark differences between top academies and men's football, and has no regrets about his time around high-profile players.
Read at www.bbc.com
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