Photo via BBC Sport

'Just the beginning' - Samba, 17, steals Man City show

Floyd Samba marked his senior debut with a pair of goals to propel Manchester City to a 5-0 victory over Norwich City in the Carabao Cup third round at Etihad Stadium. The 17-year-old attacker, who completed the full match and took home player of the match honors, opened the scoring with a deft header before adding a curled strike later in the contest.

A member of City's academy since the under-nine ranks, Samba earned his promotion under manager Enzo Maresca after amassing 24 goals and 10 assists for the under-18 squad last campaign, which included a free-kick goal in the FA Youth Cup final triumph over Manchester United.

Samba's standout display arrived amid widespread attention surrounding Manchester United's 15-year-old talent JJ Gabriel, who is nearing a departure from the club. Maresca revealed afterward that he deployed Samba as an unfamiliar central striker despite the youngster never having featured there previously.

The prospect is the son of former Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, and Aston Villa defender Christopher Samba, and his brother Tyrone also plays within City's youth ranks.