New England U21 captain makes Man City vow after Vincent Kompany guidance

Taylor Harwood-Bellis has vowed to prove himself a leader for England U21s and make a breakthrough at Manchester City.

The 20-year-old was appointed captain of the Young Lions and today explained how City legend Vincent Kompany has helped guide his career so far. Harwood-Bellis is currently on loan at Stoke, after “a whirlwind” season which started on loan at Anderlecht under their head coach, and City title winner, Kompany.

Lee Carsley has earmarked Harwood-Bellis for great things, and the 6ft 2in kid says he is soaking in all his new experiences in preparation for a City first team call up. He said: “You take different paths to get where you want to be and my main goal is to be a regular at Man City one day. And I feel like I am on the right track to do that.”

In June he joined Kompany in Belgium after success on loan at Blackburn last season. He added: “I have learned a lot playing under him and the standards he set. They are impeccable. He comes in every day and does everything he can to make himself and everyone better and he is a winner in the way he behaves and speaks. I feel I am on the right track to get on the right track to have the mindset he has. He made everyone around him get that boost with his stature. I noticed that massively when I played for him.”

In January he quit Anderlecht for Stoke to play more regularly and said: “Yes, it has been a bit of a whirlwind. Moving abroad and coming back. I could not have wished for more than Vincent did for me and the way he treated me. He said the reasons why and offered me advice and a lot of positives have come out of it. I have to play games to get where I want to be. I am not bothered about saying that. I want to get those experiences. It had been quite mental