Porro’s brutal rejection at Man City after £11m transfer inspired route to Spurs

Pedro Porro insists rejection at Manchester City was his inspiration en route to Tottenham.

The flying Spanish wing-back did not merely fail to make the grade at the Etihad as a teenager. He never even set foot in Manchester. Nor did he talk to Pep Guardiola.

Incredible but true. For, after his medical in an £11million deal from Girona was done in Spain, Porro, 18 at the time, was immediately loaned to Valladolid. Such a setback could have destroyed a promising career, draining the youngster’s confidence.

READ MORE: Ex-Spurs ace Jamie O'Hara's new 'Rise of the Footsoldier hair' has fans asking 'what's happened'

READ MORE: Man City vs Premier League trial date agreed over 115 charges and when verdicts expected

In Porro’s case it did the reverse, fuelling his motivation and drive further. He eventually signed permanently for Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon before last January’s £39.7m switch to Tottenham.

Ahead of today’s trip to the Premier League champions, the Spanish ace said: "It’s cool. I have total respect for City. They probably weren’t counting on me at the time. In football, as in any walk of life, when you realise you don’t fit in and are not part of something, you get on with it, follow your own path, your own goals – and set yourself targets.

How do you reckon Spurs and their injury ravage squad will get on against Manchester City? Let us know in the comments section below.

Join the Daily Star's WhatsApp for the sexiest headlines, showbiz gossip and lots more

The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us!

Through the app, we'll send you the sassiest showbiz stories, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens…along with the latest breaking news of course.

To join our community, all you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in!

No one will be able to see who has sign up and no one can send messages except for the Daily Star team. We also treat our community members to competitions, special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.

If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN

"As an individual, I’m very ambitious and I think I showed a lot of strength to come through that and get to where I am today – by following my path. You look for ways out of that situation, whether it’s a move or a loan. That’s what happened. There is no bitterness.

"My first time in Manchester was actually playing in the Champions League against them for Sporting. We’d lost 5-0 at home but that second game was 0-0."

The measured, calm approach to the past belies Porro’s relentless, frenetic style when bombing up and down the right flank. And it certainly helped him to withstand the barrage of criticism received for some tricky early appearances for the North Londoners.

Prime Video is available as part of the Amazon Prime membership, which costs £8.99 per month or £95 annually for an individual.

The membership gives access to all the perks of Amazon Prime (including free Premium and Same- Day Delivery in selected residential postcodes, and other benefits) plus the full library of content available through Prime Video.

Prime also offers a discounted membership, Prime Student for higher education students.

You can also sign-up for Prime Video on its own for £5.99 per month, however, you won’t get the other benefits that come with Prime — like free One-Day Delivery and Same-Day Delivery on eligible orders and fast grocery delivery and pickup.

£5.99 per month for Prime Video only, or £8.99 per month for Amazon Prime membership

Now a firm favourite with the N17 faithful, Porro added: “I’m chilled about it. In football, everyone has an opinion. Everyone can criticise. It’s the best league in the world so, by definition, you’re more exposed and more people watch you. I am pretty laid back about that."

Which will not be the case when he faces City’s lightning Belgium winger Jeremy Doku.

"Clearly, I’m not going to have an afternoon off – but neither is he! That’s what’s beautiful about it," said Porro, 24. "When you come up against a top player, it makes you improve and become a better player. It will be an entertaining spectacle."

Likely Tottenham line up to face Manchester City (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Royal, Davies, Udogie; Hojbjerg, Bissouma, La Celso; Kulusevski, Son, Johnson.

Source: Read Full Article