“He [Palmer] was asking for two seasons to leave and I said stay. He said he wanted to leave. What could we do?” Goal.com quoted Guardiola.

Chelsea forward Cole Palmer has emerged as a Player of the Year contender thanks to a dazzling campaign that left Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to rue what might have been ahead of their reunion in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final.

"When we signed him (Palmer) he was a great talent," Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said. "He is doing fantastic, he is doing really well and he has adapted himself."

Cole Palmer scored twice deep into stoppage time to complete a hat-trick as Chelsea stunned Manchester United 4-3 on Thursday, all but ending their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Mauricio Pochettino has promised his Chelsea side will attack Manchester City when they travel to the Premier League champions' Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Mauricio Pochettino claimed Chelsea's response to successive Premier League defeats showed they are in a "good way" as the Blues beat Sheffield United 2-0 on Saturday.

Cole Palmer has been rewarded for his Chelsea form this season with a late call-up to Gareth Southgate's England squad for the team's final two Euro 2024 qualifiers.