Luke Bolton's journey from a promising City academy prospect to a successful player at Wrexham highlights the challenges and resilience required in professional football. Despite facing setbacks and contract uncertainties, Bolton embraced Pep Guardiola's advice to transition to right-back, ultimately finding success in League One.
Considering the amount of youngsters on City's books, the actual number who play for the first team is a fraction of a fraction.
“From a young age I got released and it didn’t really hit me that hard," he said in 2020. "I’ve always been someone who gets on with it, if they don’t want me, they don’t want me. Then I came back from it but even at City, they’ve always expected me to stumble at the next hurdle. Bolton had featured three times on tour under Guardiola in the USA, before the manager called him into his office back in Manchester for a chat that would change the course of his fledgling career. Having gone to the US as a winger, Bolton was used at right-back instead, with Guardiola advising him to pursue opportunities further back. Bolton didn't need to argue.
"I’ll never argue and say ‘no, I think I’m a winger,’ I’ll take it on board from someone like that as he’s managed a lot of top players as well." “I really enjoyed my 11 years there,” he said. “I’m 22 years of age. There are people younger than me getting chances, which is fine. City said they’ll push the younger ones over me.
Football Manchester City Academy Luke Bolton Pep Guardiola Wrexham Right-Back
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