Offspring of a firearm: Samuel revels in Man City's progress

"My dad introduced me to football at a young age and I quickly became hooked. I was obsessed with collecting all the Match Attax player cards," he shared with the Manchester Evening News. "Thanks to my dad's passion for the sport, I was able to grasp the intricacies of the game early on. He taught me the fundamentals and from there, I immersed myself in the world of football."

"He was a great inspiration to me growing up. I didn’t watch much of him - I don’t remember any games of him. I’ve gone back and watched things about him and I’ve gone back and watched him on YouTube.

"He was a very aggressive player and I feel like it will help to watch clips of him and how he played. But I want to learn myself. I don’t want to be under him, I want to push myself to be my own person."

Samuel says his family have been a great support for his career.

"They’ve helped massively. Obviously, through the good times and the bad times. My mum, she’s probably my best friend. She has helped me a lot.

"My brother and sister as well - we’ve all been involved in the football set-up since a young age. My mum has been through it all and they understand what it takes to get there as they’ve seen it with my dad. I’m just trying to make them proud."