Nobody knows how good he is, really, still. The internet says he’s scored 69 league goals, but this is his 11th season as a top flight player. Seven a season, and that includes a purple patch playing alongside Suarez. Feels like we still view him as a young player.
I saw quite a bit of him as a youth player at City. He was so far ahead of anyone else in his age group it was obscene. Not very well liked, though, saw as too much of a Billy Big Spuds, but i’ve never been sure about that. Think he’s quite a fragile character and lacks a bit of mental toughness, especially with the injuries, etc. With a bit more luck, confidence, even hunger maybe he could have been the standout English player of his time, but…