It's been the Sergio Gomez show so far at the under-21 European Championships in Georgia and Romania so far, but Cole Palmer threatened to steal the limelight on Wednesday.
Palmer had played a watching brief until the semi-final for England, only playing the dead-rubber third group game from the start. He was called in for the last-four clash with Israel, and showed Lee Carsley why he should have been playing more often.
A goal sandwiched in between two smart assists saw Palmer prove his worth to England off both flanks in a comfortable 3-0 win, before Sergio Gomez added another goal to his collection at the tournament, moving to the top of the top scorer table ahead of the final.
Both Manchester City players have had frustrating seasons, struggling to get game time on the left. It is interesting, then, that both are impressing this summer in slightly different positions.
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Palmer cut inside from his favoured right wing to deliver a lovely deep cross for Morgan Gibbs-White to head in England's semi-final opener, before moving over to the left in the second half. He timed his back-post run perfectly to score the second, and his run to the byline in injury time saw him cut back for Cameron Archer to complete the win.
For City's academy, Palmer was most effective on that right side as he had the ability to come inside on his stronger left foot or drive down to the byline. For the senior team, though, he's had to wait for more opportunities on the left, and didn't start any of his games last season on the right. Interestingly, he was played as a central midfielder in the group win over Germany, but impressed when reverted to the wing against Israel.
Palmer wouldn't be expected to displace Jack Grealish on the left, although there may be an avenue to play on the right next season given the uncertain futures of Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva.
Shortly after Palmer's masterclass, Gomez added gloss to Spain's 5-1 win over Ukraine to set up a tantalising final. City's left-back is playing as a winger for Spain, and has returned three goals and two assists in his four games so far - no player has contributed more goal involvements in the tournament.
If Gomez beats teammate Abel Ruiz (also on three goals and two assists) to the Golden Boot, it would be a huge confidence boost for a player who was firmly a fringe player for City last year. Again, he wouldn't be an alternative to Grealish on the left for Guardiola, but a return to his natural position and a series of good performances can only be good news for City.
Guardiola appears to be moving towards a defence consisting of the four centre-back approach that won the Champions League, further limiting Gomez's options. The Spaniard insists he wants to stay and fight for his place, so offering an option on the wing could boost those chances. Even if Guardiola doesn't want to use Gomez further forward, he will return for pre-season a more confident player which can only be a positive thing.
Likewise, Palmer's end to the season was a positive after a frustrating campaign, and all signs pointed to a summer exit on loan. Could his last few appearances for club and country persuade City that he has a part to play next term to support the first team. There will be more games to play - and it's worth remembering that Riyad Mahrez will miss most of January at the African Cup of Nations - so Palmer's return to form is another boost.
Along with Burnley-bound James Trafford, in-demand centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and midfielder Tommy Doyle, both Palmer and Gomez will hope to end their U21 Euros with a gold medal on Saturday. Whatever happens, they have both used the tournament to remind themselves and the club of their qualities, potentially changing Guardiola's mind when it comes to earning more game time next season.
