Former Town academy schoolboy Ben Knight netted both goals as Manchester City beat West Brom 4-2 at home in the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup last night to set up a final against Liverpool.
Knight, 16, who opened the scoring in the eighth minute and netted City’s third goal late in the second half, moved to the Etihad Stadium last July for initial compensation understood to be just over £1 million with further top-ups due as his career progresses.
The departure of Knight led to Blues owner Marcus Evans publicly expressing his frustration at an academy system which he believes is heavily weighted towards the big clubs with the likes of Town powerless when their promising youngsters attract interest from the top Premier League sides.
The Blues have also lost Canadian midfielder Marcelo Flores to Arsenal this season, having seen striker Charlie Brown move on to Chelsea in the summer of 2016.
Brown, who hails from Felixstowe, is the top scorer in this season’s UEFA Youth League with 11 goals, five ahead of his nearest rivals.
The 19-year-old’s younger brother Zak is currently a first-year scholar with the Town academy, and has scored 14 times this season for the U18s, who currently top the Professional Development League Two South table.