Juma Bah used to spend his spare time helping out at his father’s bakery in Sierra Leone, but he could soon be playing for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City after a rapid footballing rise.

Beginning his career on pitches that were often dusty or muddy in his West African homeland, just nine months ago the teenager was playing domestic league games on artificial turf.

Yet, after impressing over a dozen La Liga outings for Real Valladolid in the first half of this season, the centre-back signed for the 10-time English champions in January.

“It would be a dream for me to play with these great players at Manchester City,” Bah told BBC Sport Africa.

“I usually play with them on PlayStation. Playing with them in real life will be amazing.

“I’m looking forward to go there and learn, and to have the best coach in the world. My aim is to win trophies.”

Bah, who turns 19 next month, speaks with humility as he repeatedly stresses the need to train hard and improve his game in order to reach the top level.

He will certainly have to be patient before he pulls on a blue shirt.

The youngster was sent out on loan to Lens immediately after joining City and helped his new team-mates to an impressive 1-0 win in Marseille on Saturday as he made his first start following two brief substitute appearances for the French Ligue 1 side.

Newly-appointed Sierra Leone boss Mohamed Kallon, who had stints at Inter Milan and Monaco as a player, has hailed the defender as a “great prospect”.

“I knew something big was going to happen and he was just waiting for his opportunity,” Kallon added.

“He can succeed in Europe. Manchester City bought him because they see something in him. We can see that he has potential to grow.”