He had an excellent early career with Manchester City, winning the FA Youth Cup in 1986 and helping the club to win promotion out of the Second Division in 1988–89. However a ruptured Anterior cruciate ligament in September 1990 would lead to several seasons struggling with knee injuries, and he would only play four further games from that point before announcing his retirement in January 1996. Despite his career effectively ending at the age of 21 he was later inducted into the Manchester City Hall of Fame, and was seen as a player who would have been a key first team player for many years had it not been for his injury problems.