Abdul Razak came through the famous Mimosas club in the Ivory Coast – the club that gave Kolo and Yaya Toure the springboard into their illustrious, trophy-laden careers.

Mimomas’ youth academy is known as the crown jewel of African football and it was from there that Abdul caught the eye of Crystal Palace, who promptly brought him over to England.

The teenager never made a first-team appearance for Palace but did catch the eye of City who swooped for his services in 2010, though he had to wait for his Elite Development Squad debut until 2011.

Quickly fast-tracked into the first team set-up, Razak’s pace, power and presence marked him out as a real talent, with Roberto Mancini handing Abdul his first-team debut in the 3-0 Premier League win over West Brom in February 2011.

A loan spell at Brighton and Hove Albion followed where Seagulls fans grew attached to the midfielder after his six strong appearances for the Sussex club.

On City’s summer tours of Austria and the Far East in 2012, Razak was a regular member for the first team, making starts against Arsenal, Malaysia and Besiktas, forming a powerful axis in midfield alongside his compatriot, Yaya Toure.

Because of this string of impressive performances, it was little surprise that Abdul started the 2012/13 season on the first-team bench, making his first appearance of the season as a second half substitute against QPR - a clue as to just how highly his stock has risen.

He also played 105 minutes in the Capital One Cup against Aston Villa before agreeing upon a three-month loan move to Charlton Athletic on 29 September 2012. He was recalled by City in late October.

Abdul Razak's Gallery

Abdul Razak - Interview

After a 3-0 win against Wigan, Abdul tells us how happy he was to get some game time.