 His ability to run with the ball, score goals and operate box-to-box caught the eye both locally and nationally.On 21 October 2006, he was rewarded for his progress and made his Manchester City debut in the Premier League, in a 4–0 defeat by Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium.His second start came in a 2–0 win over Middlesbrough in March 2007, the start of a run of seven consecutive first team appearances, which was ended by a hamstring injury which ruled him out of a match against Aston Villa.