Manchester City players including Kevin De Bruyne are keeping in contact with former academy youngster Romeo Lavia, who says he left the Etihad permanently this summer after being impressed with Southampton when they visited the Etihad last season.
Lavia, 18, had been a regular fixture in City first-team training over the last 12 months, as well as playing a pivotal role in the under-23s' title win.
He could have continued to push for senior minutes this year to build on his two first-team outings last season, but instead secured a permanent move to Southampton for a fee of around £12m.
The Belgian was given his Premier League debut at the first attempt as he started Southampton's defeat at Tottenham last weekend, and he has now opened up on his experiences of training with Pep Guardiola's first team. ALSO READ: Bernardo Silva's hidden message a good omen for his Man City future His relationship with the senior City players was so much, he says, that he can still text the likes of compatriot Kevin De Bruyne, who gave him a motivational message when he left for St Mary's. "It was an amazing, amazing experience," Lavia said, referring to his City debut in the Carabao Cup alongside De Bruyne. "Now he is more than a teammate to me and, when I can, I can go to to ask for advice and just speak about anything.
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