Source: Man_City
Nimely measures up to Tevez
Alex NimelyAlex Nimely has already reached the same level as City superstar Carlos Tevez - and that is why he is the brilliant Argentine's new partner. Before Emmanuel Adebayor's agent reaches for the phone, it should be pointed out that the 18-year-old Liberian starlet is not about to claim a first-team place. He is only Tevez's training partner, chosen because the two men are of similar height. But Nimely, who made his debut splashing through a swamp at Turf Moor as the Blues romped to a 6-1 win, harbours dreams of one day partnering Tevez for real. Nimely often trains with the first-team squad as Roberto Mancini continues his policy of integrating the club's young players with the seasoned pros. And the teenager, who played the last seven minutes at Burnley, says he has benefited hugely from the experience. "When we train, the manager always puts me and Carlos together, because we are the same height, like he always puts Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz together," said the starry-eyed youngster. "We share a joke and he always shows me some stuff. Craig Bellamy is also a great help - sometimes he takes me out again after training and teaches me things. "The first-team players are great - they encourage you every day. "Training with the first team is a massive thing for us, and a huge opportunity. The intensity is very high, and you don't get much time to think. "You have to know what you are going to do before the ball reaches you. The manager always wants us to play at a high tempo, so that it won't be strange when they put you in a big game. "We have been taught that if you are good enough you are old enough, and once you prove to him you are at that level day in, day out, in training, no matter who you are you will play, and that's a fantastic thing, the opportunity we are looking for." Nimely is not short of experience for someone who turns 19 next month. In fact, his Premier League debut was not even in front of the biggest crowd of his career. That came three years ago when, as a 15-year-old boy living in the Liberian capital Monrovia, he went to stay with his grandmother for an extended holiday in Cameroon. The talented youngster was quickly signed up by top Cameroon side Cotonsport Garoua - and hurled into an African Champions League clash with Ugandan Revenue Authority, in front of a crowd estimated at 30,000. Nimely rise The boy was far from over-awed, scoring one of the goals as Cotonsport progressed to the next round. "I was there for four months, and was the youngest player," said Nimely. "I played as a substitute aged 15, came on and scored, but then got injured and didn't play for them again. "We played at home and there was a huge crowd. After the game I was nearly crying because I didn't know what to do. "They were a massive team - the next year they got to the final of the African Champions League." But even that amazing day paled into insignificance when the board was held high in the interminable drizzle of that grey Lancashire afternoon, to tell him he was replacing Tevez for a cameo performance and his City debut. "It was fantastic to get on, and I give thanks to almighty God for letting me see that day, and then for making it a unique one for me," he said. "That's a dream for every young player who comes through the Academy and is pushing up towards the first team. It's a long way, but I'm just grateful to God and the City technical staff, people like Jim Cassell, Barry Pointon and Alex Gibson. "The pitch was awful, but I will play on that surface every time if it means playing in the Premier League." Nimely arrived at City with the unwieldy name of Alex Nimely-Tchuimeni, but has dropped the second part of the name for convenience. He came to England to stay with his British-born father Davy Tchuimeni, a lawyer and former Canadian college basketball player, now based in Milton Keynes. Trials at Portsmouth and Blackburn came to nothing, but City saw something in him immediately, and last year he was a key player in the youth team which reached the FA Youth Cup semi-finals. "Last year was a fantastic year for the youth team," he said. "I played a lot of games, but unfortunately we lost in the Youth Cup semi to Arsenal." Nimely admits that Roberto Mancini's policy of giving Academy products their chance in the first team - he has also blooded Dedryck Boyata, Abdi Ibrahim and Greg Cunningham - has made a difference to the thrusting youngsters at Platt Lane. "We all talk in the changing room about wanting to play in the first team, and it's important to you that you keep moving forward and focusing on your football," he said. "It was difficult for me in the first year, but after a year or two it's all right because I have friends in the team, and the coaching staff helps to look after you. "I live in digs, and at first I lived with a lady called Julie who was a policewoman - that was tough because I couldn't do anything!" What are your expectations of Nimely? Have your say. | Submit Comments| Comments (12)| PrintWhat's this? Emaildel.icio.usDiggredditFacebookStumbleUponNewsvineGoogle BookmarksNetscapeTechnoratiWindows LiveYahoo! MyWebMa.gnolia
