Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has praised the versatility of summer signing Matheus Nunes, and suggested that the player could even play at full-back.
The 25-year-old midfielder became Manchester City’s fourth first-team addition of the summer transfer window, completing a revised €62 million move to the Etihad Stadium on Deadline Day from Wolves.
Nunes, who only moved to the Premier League last summer, refused to train with Gary O’Neil’s side in an attempt to force a transfer to Manchester City, after the Sky Blues identified the Portugal midfielder following Kevin De Bruyne’s long-term hamstring injury.
The midfielder was an unused substitute for Manchester City’s win over Fulham prior to the international break, but could make his debut against West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Pep Guardiola is without midfielder Mateo Kovacic for this weekend’s Premier League clash, with John Stones and Jack Grealish also absent due to injury.
Nunes, who is a versatile midfielder, featured in a total of 34 Premier League matches for Wolves last season, having moved to the Midlands from Sporting Lisbon for a club-record £42 million transfer fee.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s visit to West Ham, Pep Guardiola highlighted the versatility of the 25-year-old, and teased that the Blues’ latest addition could play in three positions, including full-back.
“He can play in the holding midfielder (role), attacking midfielder, full-back, with his physicality,” claimed the 52-year-old.
“He has to improve his first contact, first touch. Try with the ball like Kevin (De Bruyne), Kevin is incomparable. His energy, the balls in the last games as a winger. The quality is so difficult to find. Dribble and make 10, 15, 20 metres.
“He will learn to be more precise in simple things, the way we train, he will get. He has the qualities a manager cannot improve which is so important.”
The potential for Nunes to feature as a holding midfielder could further impact Kalvin Phillips’ opportunities, with the Englishman yet to start for Manchester City this season, and having opted against a summer exit.
Phillips made his first Manchester City appearance of the season against Fulham, though did start England’s 3-1 win over Scotland in midweek.
Source link
