Mauricio Pochettino has made me a better player than I was under Man City boss Pep Guardiola

Cole Palmer says Mauricio Pochettino has moulded him into a better player than he was at Manchester City, stating that the Chelsea manager has given him more freedom.

Palmer left City in a £45m deadline day deal last summer after failing to get game-time assurances from Pep Guardiola. The 21-year-old Treble winner says he is indebted to the champions having risen through their academy ranks but had been left craving regular minutes.

Guardiola waved off the idea of a loan and so Palmer decided to take his leave when Chelsea showed their interest. He has personally excelled at Stamford Bridge with 12 goals and nine assists so far this season.

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Palmer picked up the Men's Young Player of the Year at the 2024 London Football Awards on Thursday for his success over the last 12 months, which saw him make his senior England debut in November.

He has been the most successful signing brought in by Chelsea manager Pochettino, who has come under fire for his slow progress at Stamford Bridge. Stuttering performances this season climaxed in a Carabao Cup final defeat to an inexperienced Liverpool side amid questions of squad mentality.

However, Palmer has defended the Argentine. When asked by BBC Sport whether Pochettino had made him a better player, he answered "yeah," before adding: "He's given me the freedom to play my stuff and I like it when he frees you because I feel I can express my stuff more.

"I'm loving it. Every day he's talking to you about different things, not just football things but life things as well. He's good at making you feel good and