Jeremy Monga’s £10m move from Leicester to Manchester City may have gone under the radar this summer, but the teenager’s own career is not expected to go in quite the same manner. The 17-year-old is the third-youngest player to appear in the Premier League and is now settling in at one of the world’s biggest clubs, which is managed by former Foxes boss Enzo Maresca.
Monga made his first appearance for his new side during a 3-1 friendly win over a K-League XI. Played in sweltering conditions at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, the match saw Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, and Divin Mubama all find the scoresheet within the opening 23 minutes.
During his half-hour on the pitch, Monga displayed youthful energy and nearly marked his debut with a goal. A close-range effort was disallowed for handball, while a curling strike was later saved by the goalkeeper. It appeared for some time that the teenager would be heading to champions Arsenal, as Mikel Arteta’s side closed in on a deal, but the Gunners were ultimately gazumped by their title rivals.
“It was very strong because it was very close to me going there, very close,” Monga told Sport regarding the interest from North London. However, he felt that the pathway at City was superior. “They’ve been so successful that it was a no-brainer when City called. It’s every child’s dream to win trophies and be at the top with the best.”
Monga remains pragmatic about his development. “Once I get the opportunity I just need to show myself, and once I do that, everything will take care of itself. I feel like, to me personally, I see myself at City more. I see myself in blue.”
Reflecting on his time at Leicester, Monga played 30 times last season and took positives from his tenure at the King Power Stadium, noting that the club provided the foundation for his career. He described the Championship as a “tough league” where defenders offered him less time and respect than in the top flight.
“It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the Championship,” added the England Under-19 international. “They were more on me, wanting to be more physical with me and they didn’t care about my age too much. I don’t see the negatives, I see all the opportunities they have given me that I am thankful for. I don’t like to think of the negatives, I’m just thankful.”
A boyhood Chelsea supporter, Monga rates former Belgium international Eden Hazard as his primary idol. When Monga was born in July 2009, Hazard was still a youngster at Lille before embarking on a decorated career at Chelsea and Real Madrid. Hazard won the Premier League and La Liga twice each, the Champions League in 2022, and was named PFA and FWA player of the year in 2014-15.
Asked what he admired most about the Belgian, Coventry-born Monga said: “Definitely his directness, him taking the game by the scruff of his neck trying to win the game by himself and definitely the way he manipulates the ball, trying to implement that into my game. Even the way he protects the ball from his opponents and moves around the pitch, everything is what I want to do.”
When asked about specific moments that stood out, Monga pointed to Hazard’s solo goal against Tottenham and his strike against Liverpool. If Monga manages to achieve even half of what Hazard produced during his professional career, he will have established himself as a significant talent in the game.
The 2015-16 Premier League winners then suffered a further fall from grace last term with a calamitous campaign that saw them drop into League One.
Hazard won both the Premier League and La Liga twice, the Champions League in 2022, as well as being named PFA players’ player of the year and Football Writers’ Association (FWA) footballer of the year in 2014â15.
