There is a lovely photograph from the Jan Breydel Stadium last week, snapped as Cole Palmer bounced away towards Manchester City’s support in Bruges with Raheem Sterling in tow.
Sterling’s arms were outstretched, his grin somehow wider, after watching the 19-year-old confidently push the cutback ahead of him and then curl home from the box’s edge for a maiden Champions League goal. Trademark Palmer, the sort of finish that those who follow City’s academy teams have seen countless times before.
On the biggest stage, here was a picture that perfectly captured one description of Palmer’s rise by a City source.