Manchester City have long been praised for their recruitment under Pep Guardiola, with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri, Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker and Erling Haaland among many who have become world-class stars.
But with the club's problems becoming more apparent than ever this season, there are a host of players who were not deemed good enough at the Etihad but are now flourishing at other Premier League clubs.
Chelsea have become a dumping ground for City Academy graduates in recent years, with the Blues benefiting more than any other top club when three of Enzo Maresca's current stars started in Manchester.
With the reigning English champions lacking quality and the January transfer window fast approaching, City are expected to spend big in a bid to escape the crisis they find themselves in.
However, it is 'what if' questions and poor decisions from City that have put them in this position, as several former stars punish the club's decision not to give them a first-team opportunity.
Mail Sport investigates the former City players who are now starring at rival Premier League clubs as Guardiola faces an extensive rebuild.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
The now blossoming Chelsea superstar is really the one who got away and on reflection it is an absolute recruitment disaster that raises questions for those in charge at the club's top level.
Palmer's signature cost Chelsea just £42.5 million – £17.5 million less than what Man United paid for Mason Mount – and since joining the Blues last summer he has scored 36 goals and registered 21 assists in 63 appearances .
The 22-year-old grew up in City's youth academy but was consistently given the cold shoulder by Guardiola when he started asking for more starting opportunities, with the Spaniard alongside the likes of Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva.
Now Palmer is showing just how big a mistake City made when he starred at Chelsea and challenged for the title.
Romeo Lavia (Chelsea)
Another City Academy star now doing business at Chelsea is Lavia, who moved from Southampton to Stamford Bridge only after the English champions decided he wasn't good enough for their first team.
It has taken the 20-year-old time to establish himself in London after a difficult first season under former boss Mauricio Pochettino, when he was plagued by injury but is now finding form and fulfilling his potential as a first division defensive midfielder.
Ironically, Lavia would have been a ready-made replacement in City's midfield for injured midfielder Rodri, whose season-ending injury has been a major focus of the club's recent demise.
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Aston Villa's rising star has survived a long journey to play in the Premier League, but it all started at City for Rogers, who moved to the club in 2019 as a 17-year-old youth player from Middlesbrough.
Rogers was desperate to try and make the grade at the Etihad but was never given a chance by Guardiola and was instead sent out on loan to Lincoln, Bournemouth and Blackpool before ultimately being sold back to Middlesborough only last year.
Half a season later, Villa came knocking after noticing Rogers' goalscoring prowess, with Middlesborough pocketing £15 million, 25 percent of which went to City.
Julian Alvarez's departure to Atletico Madrid has raised questions about Guardiola's decision not to have a backup striker for Erling Haaland, a role for which Rogers would have been perfect.
Jadon Sancho (Chelsea)
What a turbulent career Sancho has had so far and he is only 24 years old. Starting out as a youth star at City, Sancho rose to play in the club's Under-18 team before eventually moving to Borussia Dortmund.
It was in Germany where Dortmund unlocked the potential that City had helped unleash and a later move to Manchester United for £72m caused consternation at the Etihad when one of their top academy stars joined a local rival.
Admittedly, his time at Old Trafford ended on a tumultuous note, but Sancho appears to have found his footballing home at Chelsea and is starting to show the skill, creativity and goal threat that City so desperately need.
City saw Sancho's potential but never gave him the chance to show it in the first team.
Pedro Porro (Tottenham)
It will come as a surprise to many Premier League fans to know that the Spurs full-back started his career at City, but that is because he never played for the club.
Porro was loaned to Real Valladolid just four days after joining City five years ago and then sent to Sporting Lisbon as Guardiola opted not to integrate him into his team.
The 25-year-old eventually joined the Portuguese side on a permanent contract and played in Lisbon before being snapped up by Tottenham for £42 million in January 2023.
City are so used to Kyle Walker being excellent at wing-back during their period of dominance in the Premier League, but the aging Englishman appears to have lost his pace and is becoming an increasing liability for Guardiola.
Liam Delap (Ipswich)
The Ipswich striker is the club's most influential player this season. He was involved in 43.8 percent of Kieran McKenna's 28 goals in the Premier League this season, but he could have found the back of the net for City.
Much was expected of Delap as he progressed through City's youth system and it looked like he would be given a chance in the first team before being subsequently sent on loan to Stoke.
Possible spells at Preston North End and Hull followed before the 21-year-old returned to City in the summer before being sold to Ipswich on a permanent deal.
Delap is now flourishing as an integral figure at Ipswich and is already showing he has the ability to deliver in the Premier League – something those at City apparently did not believe was the case.
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