It takes a brave man to walk away from Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City boss has won it all as a player and manager and is preparing his side for a defence of their Premier League title and an assault on Champions League glory.

But Jacob Davenport has turned his back on the chance to build a career at the Etihad and joined Blackburn Rovers on a four-year deal.

It’s not a decision he regrets.

He is content in his call to swap City for Rovers and his decision to drop into the Championship, where he played 17 times for Burton Albion during a loan spell last season, highlights a brave head on 19-year-old shoulders.

“I have been at City since I was five, I think 13 or 14 years,” Davenport told the Lancashire Telegraph. “I have come through the age groups.

“We were at Platt Lane when I started. The facilities were good but tiny compared to the City Football Academy. It humbles you and you are ready for anything.

“Through the age groups City could get anyone they wanted so there was competition throughout the age groups so that gets you ready for when you come to play professional football.

“It was a very difficult decision to leave, a lot of my family are Blues. I am. It was a tough decision to leave somewhere where you have been for so long but I felt the time was right to take the next step in my career.”

Davenport has featured for Rovers at the base of midfield in the opening two pre-season friendlies of the summer.

He is is a player in the mould of Fernandinho but displacing a Brazilian international who enjoyed a stellar season last term is no easy task.

And that still leaves the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Fabian Delph as specialists in that position before you even get to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne.

He added: “Where the club has gone now it is hard for any youngster to break into that team so this summer was the perfect time, especially after playing on loan last season and to kick on from there I think is the right decision.

“I am very thankful for the schooling I have had at Manchester City. It has been the perfect upbringing, tactically, physically and mentally.”

Davenport may have left City without a senior appearance to his name but he came close to making the matchday squad for the Capital One cup tie with Wolves last November - only for Yaya Toure to pass a fitness test and leave the Rovers new boy as 19th man - while he trained with the first team on a regular basis.

That means he is well placed to describe just how Guardiola can get the best out of players.

“Yaya was fit so I didn’t make the bench in the end,” said Davenport of his first team involvement.

“I was involved in the matchday, I did the warm up and to see how they work was unbelievable.

“I trained quite a lot last season with the first team, the guidance, the help and the tactical detail that Pep goes into helped me massively even in the short space of time I was training with the team.

“It was unbelievable to work with him. The level of detail he goes into is incredible. He just cares and loves football. You can see it with every single player, he is basically friends with everyone and is helping everyone at the club progress.

“He would watch a few of our (development squad) games, when we went to train with the first team he did put his arm around us and introduce us to the group and the staff which helped me well.

“He has wished me well.”

Davenport has also had more than a helping hand from a couple of familiar faces to Rovers fans.

Jason Wilcox, a title winner who played nearly 300 games for Rovers, was his coach before he stepped up to Academy Director while Richard Brown, a full back for the Rovers in the early 1990s, was another who had an influence in Davenport’s early years.

“I had him from under-12s to under-14s,” Davenport said of Brown. “He was a top guy and a coach who helped me.

“(Wilcox) has been a massive influence. I had him as my Under-18s coach. He is a very good coach, very detailed.

“He has stepped up to Academy management now and he is a nice guy and helped me develop as a player.

“I had a chat with Jason (before leaving). Hopefully I can kick on at Blackburn and see where the future takes me.”

Davenport experienced Championship football during a loan spell with Burton Albion in the second half of last season.

And while the Brewers suffered relegation, Davenport won plenty of plaudits for his performances and believes the spell in the second tier gave him the confidence to leave City this summer.

He added: “That loan spell has helped me, knowing I can play at this level was a big thing. Even mentally.

“Now I know I am capable I just can’t wait to get going again.

“I am quite a tenacious player, I love getting the ball back for the team. I am technical and like to pass and keep the ball moving and keep it ticking and keep it simple. I want to start attacks and break attacks.”

Davenport’s sole senior goal was a spectacular free kick against Barnsley, so has he pushed Charlie Mulgrew off set pieces at Brockhall already?

“I think there is a few who are a bit of good competition so I don’t think I can take over yet,” the teenager joked.