It’s been a difficult season for Manchester City, but there have arguably been a couple of bright sparks despite the struggles.
Although he’s currently injured, Erling Haaland has pulled his weight, having scored 30 goals in 40 games across all competitions.
January signing Omar Marmoush also looks like he’ll be a really good addition for Manchester City.
The Egyptian has already scored seven goals in 14 appearances so far.
There’s one other player at City who has genuinely played quite well for the most part this season, and that person is Josko Gvardiol.
Gvardiol has been a staple of the City team this season and has played the most minutes out of his teammates so far – and Mateo Kovacic has delivered an exciting prediction about his compatriot.
- READ MORE: Josko Gvardiol admits one thing has been completely unexpected for him at Man City so far
Mateo Kovacic insists Josko Gvardiol will be at the top for years to come
Gvardiol is closing in on his second full season as a Manchester City player.
Last season, following his big-money move from RB Leipzig, it took him some time to adapt to the Premier League – especially as he was playing out wide, something he hadn’t really done too much at Leipzig.
Gvardiol started to come good around halfway through the campaign and finished as arguably City’s best player.
This term, where most of his teammates have disappointed, Gvardiol has been relatively consistent, and for Kovacic, his future is very bright. Even Guardiola said City’s season would’ve been much worse without Gvardiol.
Kovacic told mancity.com: “Josko is special. I don’t want to praise him too much, but his qualities are amazing.
“We [in Croatia] always had midfielders and great centre-backs as well, but he is the kind of player who can do everything.
“Sometimes you don’t know where to put him because he is so good going forward, but also great defending.
“He is right foot, left foot, everything, and him being Croatian is nice for us because he is a player that can dominate for years.”
Gvardiol will prove to be amazing value
Eyebrows were raised when City forked out £77 million to sign Gvardiol.
He had a glowing reputation, but ultimately, he was still just a 21-year-old who had never played in the Premier League before.
| Josko Gvardiol for Man City (2023-present) |
| Appearances – |
| Minutes played – |
| Goals – |
| Assists – |
That fee is already looking like great value, given the consistency, versatility and durability of the player.
And Gvardiol really does have the potential to be at the top level for years and years to come.
Given the age at which he signed, and how he looks like he will have his place in the City backline nailed down, that £77 million fee should prove to be fantastic business by the club when all is said and done.
