Man City-bound wonderkid, 14, dubbed 'best in world' registers assist on pro debut

Manchester City-bound starlet Cavan Sullivan impressed on his professional debut, with some comparisons to Kevin De Bruyne already beginning to crop up. The American, who is only 14 years old, has reportedly agreed a deal with the Premier League side.

As per Fabrizio Romano, Sullivan will be announced as a City player in due course, after excelling in the Philadelphia Union youth set-up. It’s believed the reigning European champions beat the likes of Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich to sign the talented teenager.

The 2009-born ace is tipped for the top, with Sullivan showcasing his talents during his debut with Philadelphia Union’s second team. Picking the ball up inside his own half, Sullivan – who has been dubbed the ‘best 14-year-old in the world’ – delivered a searching long-range assist for his teammate, in a style reminiscent of current City star De Bruyne.

A highly-sought after player, Sullivan has been catching the eye in the States, but Marlon LeBlanc – coach for the Union’s second team – believes the extra attention isn’t impacting his development. On the City-bound 14-year-old, he said: “Cavan is a fantastic young talent, I like to tease him that I’ve never seen a kid get built up as much as I’ve seen Cavan. He’s so down to earth, all of this extra hype that goes on about him, it doesn’t get to his head and I think that’s what is fantastic about him.

“It’s what also allows him to come into our environment and still be great and still be bold. [In 2024,] you’ll see him with us [Philadelphia Union II] a lot, we’ve gotta be careful with him, because at the end of the day he doesn’t look like a 20-year-old pro, he’s 14 years old.

He added: “So, right now, we’ve certainly overloaded him a little bit by being with us every day. He’s with the 17s at the moment – bring his fitness levels back up a bit and he’ll have a great GA (Generation Adidas) Cup run with them and then we’ll really start to work him into the second-team. He’s ready for that level.”

Despite the hype, Sullivan isn’t expected to complete his move to City just yet, meaning he’ll be left to dazzle in the States for a little longer. But given the Blues’ imperious track record when it comes to developing young talent, with the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho having come through the City Academy, there’s every chance he will go on to be a leading name in the world of football when he links up with the Manchester-based club.