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Teenager Divine Mukasa made his Manchester City debut in the Carabao Cup win against Huddersfield Town and produced an assured performance.
Divine Mukasa knew exactly what Phil Foden wanted when the poster boy of the Manchester City academy fizzed a pass into the debutant's feet early on in the Carabao Cup win at Huddersfield.
Foden played the pass with pace, and Mukasa quickly laid it off back to the attacking midfielder, who could stride onto the ball and drill it low into the bottom corner to set City on their way to a 2-0 win against the League One outfit.
It was a night to remember for Mukasa, who turned 18 in August, as he cemented a summer of training with the first team with a competitive debut for Pep Guardiola's side.
Those give-and-goes with Foden haven't been a regular occurrence on the training pitches at the City Football Academy, but they show an intuitive understanding between the pair that doesn't come as a surprise, given that Foden has taken the teenager under his wing and talked him through large parts of the game at the Accu Stadium.
"I think he's the best player I've ever played with and such a nice guy as well. He helps me a lot. It's just been a pleasure to play with him," Mukasa said of Foden after the game, stopping to speak to reporters in one of the tight corridors leading from the away dressing room back to the team coach.
"He's just really encouraging. Any information, even small things like the warm-up and stuff like that, where I may not know what to do, he just helps me out and is really encouraging as well."
Foden walked past while Mukasa was speaking and affectionately grabbed his teammate around the shoulders after a mature performance that belied his inexperience.
They were two of six academy graduates who started the Carabao Cup third round tie and eight who featured at some point, with Jaden Heskey and Reigan Heskey both coming off the bench late on.
Mukasa had spells training with the first team last season, but he has been an ever-present this year. City have started integrating him into the squad after turning down permanent interest from Ajax and Bayern Munich in the summer, as well as a loan offer from Cardiff City.
That elevation to first-team training has helped take the London-born youngster's game to another level, and he credited Kolo Toure with having a particularly big influence, having worked with the former City centre-back for the Under-18s.
Asked how much guidance he got on a daily basis, Mukasa said: "So much. Not only from the manager, but from the assistants as well. Kolo and the other Pep. They're really helpful.
"Same with the players as well. They're so good. Even without speaking, you learn so much. They speak as well.
"I've got to give a big thank you to Kolo. I was with him in the 18s last year. He must have played a big part in pushing me and helping me get into the first team.
"He's a big character. He definitely comes with a lot of things, but he's a great coach."
Mukasa joined City from West Ham United in 2023 and has a contract at the Etihad that runs until the summer of 2029. He has settled into life in Manchester after moving from London and said the change at 16 wasn't particularly difficult, as the cities share many similarities.
He spends his days off heading into the centre of town or seeking to bring his golf handicap down from the 20s, and academy sources have praised how composed and confident he has been with the step-up this season.
"You've just got to take it in your stride, really," said Mukasa. "Obviously, you'd be nervous because if you're not nervous then you probably don't care. You're definitely nervous, but you've just got to channel it the right way and do what you can.
"That was the information I got from the manager. Even today, to just be myself and be confident, because that's what the best players do. That's what I've tried to do."
Mukasa's eye-catching debut was even more impressive given his lack of experience in leading the line.
"That's the first time I've played as number nine," he said. "[The manager] gives me more of a false nine role, so it's a bit similar to being a midfielder. Just getting in the pockets and stuff like that. It's only really in the final third that I've got to play as a nine."
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