1. Michael Johnson
With this list comprised of players who most City supporters will rue and curse for their immaturity and unprofessionalism, there was a genuine feeling of sadness when news emerged in January 2013 that Michael Johnson had been released from the club. There had been an air of inevitability about it - he hadn't played for the first-team in three years, and was very much part of the forgotten contingent at Eastlands. The photo that circulated on social media pre-empting the announcement was harrowing - showing Johnson as overweight, he resembled nothing of the slight 18 year old who burst onto the scene eight years ago. Michael Johnson was hailed as 'the next Steven Gerrard', making his Premier League debut at just 18 years of age, and cementing a starting berth under Sven-Goran Eriksson by the following season. Injuries would curtail his progress, however, with abdominal injuries hampering his rise, ruling him out for several months at a time. With the club coming into an abundance of riches, the injury-plagued starlet found himself in the shadows, restricted to sporadic domestic cup appearances. A loan deal at Leicester City was to follow in a bid to get his career back on track, but injuries once again destroyed that pipedream. The truth about Johnson was that he had battled mental health problems throughout his ill-fated career, and was convicted of two drink-driving offences in 2012. Having asked for privacy in an interview following the cancellation of his contract, he stated that he had 'been attending the Priory Clinic for a number of years now with regard to my mental health'. For the boy with the world at his feet, it is such a shame to see how mental fragility under the intense Premier League spotlight.