With a year left on his contract, the defender, then 19, made the career-defining decision that he saw his future away from Manchester and the best manager in the world.
Over the following 12 months, there may have been times when he started to regret such a big call, with game time at City then restricted to cup games or Premier League fixtures against weaker opposition.
Pep Guardiola always expressed disappointment Garcia saw his future away from City, but the club were impressed by his attitude and deemed him useful enough to keep for the season rather than selling to Barcelona for less than his £20m valuation, even if it meant losing him on a free transfer the following summer.
This story is from the October 13, 2021 edition of Manchester Evening News.
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This story is from the October 13, 2021 edition of Manchester Evening News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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