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Jordi Hiwula knows all about doing the right thing.

When the 18-year-old got his first City pay cheque he went straight to a cashpoint and gave a decent chunk of it to his sister.

At the age of 11, when he was approached by a United scout and asked if he would like a trial, he paused before telling him that City had looked after him very well, thank you very much, and that he felt obligated to respect that and stay with them, despite being a lifelong Red.

Doing the right thing.

Hiwula was at it again on Thusday night when he made his senior debut under the floodlights at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. Off the bench to replace Samir Nasri he immediately drew a challenge in the box. After a conference with Stevan Jovetic he calmly stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way, drilling home a low shot with minimal fuss.

Back here, his former PE teacher Mark Richardson jumped off his settee but was not surprised.

"I used to call him ‘deckchair’," said the 42-year-old, himself a City fan. "He was so laid back he almost fell over. I knew he’d score."

Mark recounted both tales. "When he got his first wage from City, about £100, he gave £20 to his sister,” he said. "That’s the kind of guy he is."

He remembers the day when the man from Hiwula’s beloved United came calling.

"We went to a tournament at Carrington, United’s training ground, and in the first game I had a scout come and ask me if he had signed with anyone," he said.

"I knew he was training with City but I didn’t know if they had taken him on. The bloke checked it out and said that they hadn’t so he came in our dressing room at the end of the tournament – we won it and Jordi got the Golden Boot – told him he was from United and asked him if he would like a trial.

"I’ll never forget what Jordi said. He thanked the guy for his interest but told him he had been at United when he was younger and they let him go a couple of years ago. He told him that City had looked after him and, out of respect he felt obligated to stay with them. The scout had looked at the wrong age group and he had been signed. Jordi was 11 and a massive United fan and that was what he said – I knew then we had someone a bit special."

Hiwula would go on to become a key member in the school’s best ever football team.

"We won pretty much everything while he was here," said Mark. "From Year Seven all the way until he left. It was a decent side and he was the star.

"We’ve never seen anything like it."

Not that his talents were limited to the football pitch.

"He was fantastic at athletics," Mark added. "100 metres and 200 metres. He used to break his own school records every year."

Academically Hiwula was not as gifted - but again, he did the right thing.

"He took his studies really seriously," Mark explained. "He wasn’t the most academic but he knew that he would need Maths and English if his career did not take off. He worked really hard and got his GCSEs along with his PE, which he loved."

Training two days a week with City, it might have been easy for Hiwula to get carried away.

"Not a chance," said Mark. "Jordi is really grounded, really down to earth. He’s kept his old mates and he will never forget his roots. You can still see him round Old Trafford on his mountain bike."

Mark puts Hiwula’s humble nature down to the influence of his mother.

"He’s a credit to his mum who has raised him and his two sisters superbly," he said. "The two girls are absolute princesses - one left last year and was head girl."

Mark was delighted to see him back last year.

"He came in with Patrick Vieira. It was brilliant. The kids were asking him what it was like to be able to play as yourself on Fifa. He was quite shy - the same as he always was.

"He’s a role model - not just for the pupils but for the teachers too."

Mark joked that Hiwula, who battled back from a serious ligament injury that put him out of action for the majority of the 2012/13 season, may not have even told his family the purpose of his trip abroad.

"Knowing him he will have just told them he is off to Abu Dhabi," he said. "He won’t have told them anything about going with the first team."

On Friday morning the old boy was the talk of the school again.

"Everybody is delighted for him," said Mark. "I live near Hyde, where the EDS play, so I’ve kept track of his career and I watch him when I can. I’m a Blue so I was watching the match anyway last night and I saw his name on the bench.

"I was desperate for him to get on. To then get a penalty was unbelievable and for Stevan Jovetic to let him take it - that was a nice touch.

"I’ve been watching the replay ever since."

There is a long road ahead for Hiwula if he is to make it - although he is well on his way.

"If anyone deserves to be a success it’s him," added Mark. "I can’t say anything bad about him other than that he’s a United fan!"