Cole Palmer details exact moment his exit from Man City hit him

Cole Palmer has recounted the moment he fully comprehended that his Manchester City career was ending upon his decision to leave the Premier League champions for Chelsea.

The winger left the Etihad in a £42.5m deal, concluding a 15-year association with his boyhood club. Palmer, 21, was eager to secure more game time after just nine starts in the past two seasons.

The exit of Riyad Mahrez potentially opened an avenue for the England Under-21 international, who scored for City in last month’s UEFA Super Cup. But the arrival of fellow winger Jeremy Doku cast doubt over Palmer’s ambition for more minutes with Bernardo Silva also returning from injury.

He ultimately decided it was best to continue his career elsewhere, but recalled the moment that he realised he was leaving City. "It was a huge decision," he said, as per the Daily Mail.

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"When I left the training ground on the Thursday I knew I was going to London the next day. It all just hit me, sat in the car and going to drive out. I was just thinking, ‘you’ve been here 15 years’.

"I don’t know any different. I’ve never been on loan. I’ve never moved out of Manchester. The only time I’ve ever been outside of Manchester is on holiday or away games. Going there does feel weird, but there is no time to waste. I’ve got to get to it."

Palmer made his debut for Chelsea as a late substitute in their 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest before the international break. He insists he is ready for competition for his place in the team, underlining that it wasn’t something he was afraid of even at City.

"I’m not saying I shied away from the competition (at City) because I’ve never done that. I’d been there (around