The Catalan native swapped Camp Nou for the Etihad Stadium in 2017 and is enjoying working under Pep Guardiola at the Premier League champions
Eric Garcia has no regrets at having left Barcelona for Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola considered to be improving his game while the quality of Bernardo Silva has surprised him most.
The 18-year-old defender departed the famed La Masia academy system in his native Catalunya in the summer of 2017.
He remains on a steep learning curve as part of a star-studded squad, but has seen competitive senior minutes with City.
With that in mind, Garcia has told Marca when asked if he has ever questioned his decision to head for England: “No. You don’t think about how it would be somewhere else. I’m very happy with the opportunities I’ve had.”
He added on his experiences at City: “I’m in my third season in Manchester already and I’m very happy. At first it was more complicated, but then I adapted after a few months. I’m lucky to have a lot of Spanish team-mates, who make things easier.
“When I first went, I was hoping to see how things were going. We all know the Premier League is a different league, it’s more physical. I was going to see what happened but I’m very happy with how it’s gone.
“At the end of last season, they told me I’d start pre-season with the first team, and I did. I’m one of the first-team players. I train with them.”
Fellow Catalan Guardiola is the man to have given Garcia his big break, with the youngster enjoying working under the Barcelona icon.
He said of his City coach: “You learn. Every day he teaches you something new. He’s very special.”
Garcia is also benefiting from working alongside world-class talent on a daily basis.
A number of his team-mates have impressed him, but Portugal international forward Silva has made the biggest impression.
“Everyone is at a phenomenal level, but Bernardo Silva surprised me the most,” said Garcia.
“I had seen him at Monaco but not much, so I was surprised when I first trained with him.”
Garcia, who made his City debut in a Carabao Cup clash with Leicester in December 2018 and his Premier League bow in an 8-0 win over Watford earlier this season, will be hoping to see more minutes as the Blues continue to compete on multiple fronts.
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