Cole Palmer can follow James McAtee blueprint after Man City loan decision made

'A man' was how Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom decided to describe a 20-year-old James McAtee last month, following an excellent loan spell at Bramall Lane.

McAtee joined the Blades as a teenager and, barring sporadic appearances for the first-team, an under-23s prospect - albeit a very good one. A drop into the Championship was hoped to give the attacking midfielder a taste of senior football against experienced professionals, and he didn't half take it in his stride.

His 37 league appearances yielded nine goals and three assists, enough to see him named Young Player of the Year for a side who achieved automatic promotion.

"Macca has gone from a boy to a man," Heckingbottom told Yorkshire Live of the City loanee in May. "He has learned a hell of a lot about himself, about first-team football and everything that comes with it when you are expected to perform week in, week out, every three days. He has grown and grown into that role."

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Such was McAtee's development in south Yorkshire that City will resist offers for another loan deal as Pep Guardiola looks to integrate him into a treble-winning squad. But as he stays in Manchester, former under-23s teammate Cole Palmer looks set to head the other way.

City do not want to lose Palmer permanently but are exploring the possibility of a loan deal, with a number of clubs across England's top two tiers, as well as some across Europe, keen on taking the 21-year-old on board. The hope inside the club is that regular football at a high level will renew confidence and help the versatile forward rediscover his groove.

He has been among the first-team squad throughout the treble-winning season,