Felix Correia Reflects on Regret Over Manchester City Move and Reveals His Thoughts on Sporting CP
Felix Correia, the former Manchester City forward, has admitted regret over his decision to join the Premier League club earlier in his career. Looking back on his move, he revealed that, had he known what he knows now, he would have chosen to stay longer at Sporting CP rather than make the move to the Etihad in 2019.
Correia joined Manchester City from Sporting in 2019 after spending nine years developing in their youth system. Following his move, City arranged for him to spend the 2019/20 season on loan at Jong AZ, where he made 23 appearances, scoring 3 goals and registering 5 assists. His solid performances caught the eye of Juventus, and in the summer of 2020, City and the Serie A giants reached an agreement that saw Felix Correia join Juventus on a five-year deal, with Pablo Moreno moving to Manchester City in part-exchange.
Reflecting on his time at Manchester City, Correia recently spoke to O Jogo, as translated by Sport Witness, and admitted that, in hindsight, he would have chosen to stay at Sporting CP instead of making the move to City in 2019. “I would have stayed,” the 23-year-old said. “But these are completely different times, there is a different focus, a different structure, which sees Sporting’s future differently. Today, yes, I would have stayed.”
Looking back at his mindset when he made the decision, Correia explained, “My mindset was completely different and it helped me a lot to go abroad, live alone and have other experiences in my life, not just on the field.” He continued, “I think that was very important. In other words, I am a completely different Felix today.”
Despite Correia’s reflections, Manchester City has continued its pursuit of young talent, and the club shows no signs of slowing down. With the City Football Group’s extensive global network, City continues to target the brightest prospects. In fact, Claudio Echeverri is expected to be the next young talent to join Pep Guardiola’s squad in the upcoming January transfer window after completing a loan stint at River Plate.
