MANCHESTER City have handed a four-year contract extension to midfield player Tommy Doyle.
The 19-year-old, the grandson of City greats Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe, will be remaining at the Etihad until 2025.
Doyle’s father Scott, who also had a spell at City, was raised in Grasscroft with Mike owning local garage Hartshead Motors.
It is a measure of City’s faith in Doyle’s ability that he has been rewarded with such a lengthy deal, he had been under contract to 2021.
Doyle, who has been at City since the age of eight, has made four first-team appearances, including a Premier League debut in the 5-1 home won against Newcastle United in July.
On the decision to sign the contract extension, Doyle said: “I see this place at my home. I have been here for so many years and to have been offered a new contract was a massive thing for me.
“Obviously, it was a no brainer for me to sign but now it is all sorted I am so happy and ready for the season.”
Doyle, capped by England at every level from Under-17 to U20, also spoke of his development.
He explained: “I have grown as a player and a person with this club. It means so much to me because I am a fan as well.
“I have been through so much with this club and obviously now being with the first-team I am going to continue to learn even more off the manager, the coaching staff and the players, so it is exciting times ahead for me and something I am looking forward to.”
On the step up to the first-team, Doyle continued: “It was surreal at the start because obviously as a fan you see them differently.
“I have spoken to a few of them and they have said it is not the time to be starstruck or look at them like they are superstars. It is time to work hard and try and get a position in the team.
“The pace of training every day is so fast, it is quick and it makes you a better player because you need to be on it every single day.”
Doyle added: “I am very happy with my progress. I am just trying to use the staff and players as much as possible to get as much information and for me to grow as a player and person.
“I think the main thing is stepping out on that pitch and, when I have done it, I have loved every minute. Hopefully this season I can get some more appearances and keep kicking on.
“For a young player, it is everyone’s dream to play in the Premier League and it has been my dream because it is my club and the club I love. To have done it before means so much to me.”
On targets for this season, Doyle said: “I don’t sit down and think of targets. The obvious ones are to try and get as much minutes as possible and try and start some games and break into the team as much as possible.
“For me, to keep enjoying it, keep training and working hard and not letting things get on top of you. Enjoying what you do every day is so important here. It is fun, it is enjoyable so to keep enjoying it and loving what I do is so important. Hopefully by doing that it will get me some appearances.”
On his grandads’ being City legends, Doyle said: “I don’t see it as pressure because I am so proud of what they have done for this club.
“It is not an easy thing to do, to go out and play games, especially the amount of games that both my grandads played. Having the Doyle and Pardoe in me is something that will never put pressure on me.
“I’m proud of them and hopefully I can continue the Doyle legacy and keep it going.”
Doyle made his first-team debut for City on the Carabao Cup win against Southampton in October 2019 and later that season made his FA Cup bow against Port Vale before featuring in his first Premier League game against Newcastle in July.
In the current campaign, he played in the Carabao Cup win against Bournemouth.
Doyle had turned 18 only 12 days before his debut against Southampton.
However, grandad Glyn was just 15 years and 314 days when he played his first game for City against Birmingham in 1962.
Scott, in an earlier interview with the Independent, said: “When Tommy was younger, I played down who his grandfathers were as I did not want to put pressure on him.
“What Tommy has done has been achieved has been achieved on his own bat so now I don’t mind talking about them.”
Scott was also a promising player who, too, was on City’s books until he was forced to quit playing in his teens through a back problem.
He became a top golfer and had a spell as assistant professional at Didsbury. Mike was also a scratch player at Ashton Golf Club and a county squash player.
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