Get the day's biggest City stories delivered straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

When Fabian Delph earned his sixth England cap against Slovenia in June, something dawned on him as he gazed around the dressing room at his teammates.

He was the only player there who was not at a top six Premier League team.

And that realisation also played a part in his thinking when he made the decision to leave Aston Villa and try his luck in the rarefied atmosphere of the Etihad Stadium.

He has been mocked and criticised for that decision, people drawing comparisons between him and Scott Sinclair, Jack Rodwell and Adam Johnson – other young Englishmen who went to Manchester City and found it a tough environment.

Delph found it tough against Real Madrid; the injury picked up against Rafa Benitez's side looks set to deprive him of a certain start against West Brom, with Fernandinho unlikely to make the game.

But he has the same attitude as the previous two midfielders to leave Villa and join City – Gareth Barry and James Milner, who were both regular players, and have the medals to prove it.

“I got into the England squad playing for Villa,” he said. “When we’d meet up with the squad I was the only player there at a club down near the bottom so it was a big thing for me.

“Now hopefully I’ll going be joining up with the squad playing for a top-four team.”

The notion that he is somehow damaging his England prospects is alien to Delph – in fact, he sees it as the reverse situation.

“I just see it as a positive step in my career,” he said. “A step forward and an opportunity to play with some of the best players in the world and lift my game.

“Every player backs themselves. If you don’t back yourself then I think you’re going to struggle.

“Everybody that’s come here seems to have backed themselves at some point, and I’m no different.

“I back myself and feel confident playing here and getting the opportunity to play here.”

More City stories

When City return to the City Football Academy - after their pre-season tour wraps up with a match against the Vietnam national side on Monday – Delph may just make a beeline for the Blues' elite development head Patrick Vieira.

The French great was Delph's idol as a boy and he revealed that he got Vieira's shirt after a City v Villa game at the end of Vieira's career.

“I’m a big Leeds fan so I’ve got quite a few heroes there,” said Delph. “In world football, Steven Gerrard was a hero of mine, and I liked Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, a lot of central midfield players.

“Patrick Vieira was probably the biggest idol. If I could be like any player, it would be like Vieira was at Arsenal – box-to-box-, tackling and chipping in with the odd goal. I’m not that good at that at the minute but hopefully I can improve.”