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Manchester City have loaned another player out this week and it is a journey that has proven lucrative in the past.
Every year at Manchester City, there are a number of academy talents that stand out. Mostly through their performances but also with their overall reputation, certain players look the likeliest to command a transfer fee without having touched Pep Guardiola's first team.
Last summer, one of those players was Joel Ndala. After a string of exciting performances from the young winger that made for a great highlights reel, it was no surprise that the teenager was snapped up by PSV on an initial loan with a permanent deal coming at the end of the season.
Unfortunately for all concerned, Ndala did not thrive in the Dutch league and his move there was cut short after six months to mean no fee for City after all. In the second half of the season, he moved to Nottingham Forest and they again had the option to buy him.
They did not, meaning the Blues missed out on a potential fee for Ndala not once but twice last season. One of the rising stars last summer has been grounded and is looking to kickstart his career on loan at Hull City.
It hasn't been the best summer for the Tigers, who were hit with a transfer embargo in July that is in place until 2027 after being late with a payment; they are appealing but a loan was the only option for them.
That followed a disappointing season, where the decision to sack Liam Rosenior after finishing seventh in the 2023/24 campaign - three points off the play-offs - looked misguided at the time and even worse when they ended up surviving relegation on goal difference alone.
Sergej Jakirovic is the fourth coach to lead the team since Rosenior, and will be looking to give fans more to cheer about - as Ndala will. As far as the player is concerned, he can take encouragement from the journey of a similar player.
Liam Delap was part of the Hull team that nearly made the play-offs in what was a breakthrough moment for him. Having scored on debut for City aged just 17, the striker had endured two disappointing loan moves in the Championship before everything clicked for him at Hull and his star began to rise again.
Those performances were enough to earn him a permanent move to Ipswich, and this summer he signed for Chelsea. City did very well financially out of both of those deals.
The circumstances and the players are different, but City know Ndala's potential and Delap proves that setbacks can quickly be forgotten if a player can get the right club at the right time.
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