Farid Alfa-Ruprecht believes there is even more to come both from himself and his Elite Development Squad team-mates in the wake of a fine start to the PL2 campaign.

The young German winger was on target for his fifth goal of the season on Saturday, to help City’s Under-21s record a satisfying 3-1 derby win away at Manchester United.

A third successive win in the PL2 table, this latest success helped pilot Ben Wilkinson’s squad up into fourth place in the table.

It was also the perfect way to respond to a 4-2 loss to Internazionale in last week’s UEFA Youth League opener.

For Alfa-Ruprecht meanwhile it served as the benchmark for how he wants to play looking towards the rest of the campaign alongside his EDS team-mates.

“I try to help the team every game, obviously I’m happy when I score goals, when I assist goals and that’s what I’m looking to do all the time,” Alfa-Ruprecht said.

“[I want to] keep working hard and training well and I have to keep that going for the next games.

“It felt really good to win 3-1, especially in the derby. It was a good reaction to the Inter game, so a good feeling definitely to win a derby and especially against United.

“We had to do well in the first games to get the rhythm and I think now we have to keep that going, we have to win every game and that’s the most important thing.

“Our goal is to definitely win the league, that’s the main objective, but first we have to take it game by game and I think we have a chance to win the league.”

For his part Wilkinson said he was delighted to see the 18-year-old’s natural talent now being expressed on a consistent basis.

EURO VISION: Farid was also on target twice in City's UEFA Youth League clash with Internazionale.
EURO VISION: Farid was also on target twice in City's UEFA Youth League clash with Internazionale.

And the lead coach said he was hugely excited looking ahead to what Alfa-Ruprecht could achieve given his potential.

“Farid’s been with us for a couple of years now and I think he needed time to settle in coming from a different country to a different way of playing is difficult,” Wilkinson pointed out.

“I think he’s got real clarity now on what we expect of him in the position he plays, and I think the last three or four weeks he’s showed some real consistent behaviours of what we want to see on the pitch.

“A real desire to get better and work on the things we’ve identified, so I’m really pleased for him, and I’m really excited for him.

“It’s about the next 12 to 18 months now because I think he’s got a lot of potential and there’s a lot left in the tank.”