No, I just don't find the tale believable, nor do I believe an employee on the street would tell a random fan details about players, only to do it in some not very cryptic riddle because as the experienced assistant manager of one of the world's leading clubs, he has to do a Tolmie and not say any of the players names, even more ludicrous to suggest he wouldn't know their names.
City wouldn't be concerned, because this encounter, if indeed it did happen, would have been so embellished by the author to try and sound ITK that it bear little resemblance to the original.