Ex-Manchester City player Cole Palmer says he is determined to prove Pep Guardiola wrong as he returns to the Etihad with Chelsea this weekend.

Frustration at the lack of game time led to the 21-year-old’s departure last summer and, asked whether Saturday’s game is a chance to show Guardiola what he has been missing, Palmer replied:

“Yes, I just try to do that every game, so we’ll see.”

Palmer revealed before the 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge back in November that he didn’t want to leave City but, after not being given the chance to go out on loan again, he felt that he had no choice but to move clubs in order to play on a regular basis.

The decision seems to have worked out for the midfielder, who has scored 12 goals and provided 9 assists in 28 appearances since moving to Chelsea.

Guardiola has also had his say on City’s decision to sell Palmer

Before the meeting in November, Guardiola gave his version of events, stating that it was the player who pushed for the move:

“I said to him ‘Riyad Mahrez is leaving, you are going to get a chance here’. ‘He said ‘No, I’m not going to play here, I want to leave’ so I said ‘OK, leave’!”

City sold Palmer for £42.5m right before the transfer window closed at the start of September.

Palmer is keenly anticipating this weekend’s game against his former team

Asked about returning to the Etihad for the first time as an opposition player, Palmer said that it would be a strange experience, and he knows it will be a difficult fixture to negotiate:

“I don’t know [if it will be another classic] but it will be a tough game, won’t it? Yes, I am looking forward to going back to the Etihad – it will be strange and weird but I am looking forward to it and the team is looking forward to it.”