All academy football coaches dream of working with a once in a generation talent.
Very few, however, are able to realise this ambition, and even less boast mentoring two of English football’s biggest stars at the very start of their footballing journeys.
GettyManchester City’s academy has produced two of English football’s brightest stars in recent years[/caption]
This was the case for Nick Cushing however, who oversaw the development of both Phil Foden and Cole Palmer as young boys in the Manchester City academy.
Best known for his work in women’s football, Cushing spent seven years in charge of City’s Women, where he won the Women’s Super League title, a FA Women’s Cup and two FA Women’s League Cups.
He then transitioned into the men’s game, joining New York City FC as assistant in 2020, before serving as head coach from 2022 until 2024.
But it was at the Citizens‘ academy where Cushing began his coaching career, mentoring the headline acts of Palmer and Foden, as well as Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Tommy Doyle, as pint-sized kids.
With Foden now starring in an all-conquering City side, and Palmer becoming Chelsea‘s talisman after his 2023 arrival, Cushing joined talkSPORT to discuss his experiences with the gifted pair in their early days.
And while the Blues hero may be the standout performer this term, with 14 league goals to Foden’s seven, this wasn’t always the case.
Reflecting on the duo as youngsters, Cushing said: “Phil was very different.
“Cole was a good player, but probably wasn’t the player that he is now in the sense that he’s over and above one of the best in the Premier League. Cole was very good.
“Phil was always the best player. He was the best player at nine, he was the best player at 18. He went in the first team really early – he could train with the first team at 16.
“So, Phil was very, very unique in the journey that he had.”
GettyNick Cushing spent 12 years working at Manchester City, starting out in their academy in 2008[/caption]
GettyHe won every domestic honour in charge of City Women between 2008 and 2013[/caption]
GettyPhil Foden made his first-team debut aged just 17 after starring for the Citizens’ academy[/caption]
It’s fair to say Foden has continued in a similar vein since breaking into the world of senior football.
Still aged just 24, the Englishman is a six-time Premier League champion, and picked up the PFA Player of the Year award following his latest title win in 2024.
Palmer was hot on his former teammate’s heels here, scooping the Young Player of the Year prize after registering 22 league goals and 11 assists in a stunning debut season at Stamford Bridge.
And Cushing admitted there is no limit to what the 22-year-old can achieve in the future.
The 40-year-old continued: “Someone like Cole that had incredible offensive ability, a real enthusiasm with the ball and plays the way that he plays.
“I watched the game last night [Chelsea’s 2-1 win over West Ham] and he played very much as a nine-year-old like he does now.
“I think his potential is that he can go as far as he wants to go.”
With Palmer renowned for his free playing style and ability to remain unfazed on the biggest of stages, Cushing believes this is what makes him destined for the very top.
He said: “He is the exact same person now as he was when he was 10-years-old. Just a guy that’s obsessed with the game, a guy that plays with real freedom. He’s having fun when he’s playing.
“That’s what his character was like when he was young, and I think that’s why he’s achieving what he’s achieving now.
“Having a character like Cole’s means that you don’t really feel the pressure. You don’t really get too high, you don’t really get too low.
“We talk a lot about coaches, we talk a lot about mentality and character and he’s one that’s got that real natural ability and mentality.”