Devante Cole has criticised Manchester City's treatment of youth players and suggested that manager Manuel Pellegrini is inclined to favour Spanish speakers.
Cole, son of former Manchester United and City striker Andy, left the Etihad Stadium to join League One side Bradford in August after having been on the Premier League side's books since 2003.
The 20-year-old told the Daily Mail that he had initially chosen to join City because he felt they would offer young English players a better chance but their approach changed after the Abu Dhabi United Group's 2008 takeover.
"I had a choice, them or United," the former England under-19 international said. "I picked City because I enjoyed it more and it was the best place for youngsters. They'd brought through players like Micah Richards and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
"Then they got their money and everything changed straight away. They started buying foreign boys for the academy and all the English lads got pushed to one side. As you got older, you realised you wouldn't get a chance of progressing no matter what you did.
"Some players were picked regardless of form because they'd had millions of pounds spent on them. It wasn't fair on the ones who'd come through the ranks."
Cole said he had the chance to join Southampton when he was 16, and added: "In hindsight I regret it because their youngsters, like James Ward-Prowse and Luke Shaw, are given an opportunity."
He relayed a story about when he was included in the City squad for the preseason tour of South Africa in 2013 and spoke to Pellegrini for the first time.
'His first words were: 'Are you sure you want to come?' I told him I did, and then he said, 'It's OK if you don't.' We then stood looking at each other," he said.
He suggested English youngsters were at a disadvantage under the Chilean's management.
"I played for the first team in South Africa but when I came back, I wasn't in and around it," he said. "The foreign players were always pushed first and if you'd seen us all train, you wouldn't see a difference in ability.
"It is very cliquey at City. The manager has that connection with some players. I still have my friends there and they tell me this, and obviously when I was there I saw it as well. They'd speak Spanish on the training pitch."
Cole said he remains determined to prove he can play at the top level, noting that his father left Arsenal to join Bristol City in the second tier at the same age and then swiftly established himself as one of the country's top strikers with Newcastle.
"That has really stuck with me," Cole, who has scored five league goals for Bradford, said. "This is the time when you realise where your hunger comes from and I think I can get back as well.
"City shouldn't have let Daniel Sturridge go -- he was a forward who liked to attack and take people on, something I admire and try to put into my own game. I want to prove City were wrong about me as well."
Sturridge signed for Chelsea in 2009 after the striker failed to agree a contract extension with City.