Manchester City secured a 2-1 win over Watford in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
After seeing his side draw 2-2 against Arsenal on Sunday in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola made nine changes to his starting XI for their match against the Hornets.
Goals from Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes sealed the win at the Etihad Stadium and secured City’s place in the next round of the competition.
However, another figure from the starting XI, who was a surprise addition to the team on this occasion, found himself being praised for what he did on the pitch.
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David James hails Kaden Braithwaite for Man City debut performance
After seeing Kaden Braithwaite complete the first half of his City debut in Tuesday’s match against Watford, David James said this about the defender in a livestream shared on the club’s YouTube channel at halftime.
He said: “He has done well. I mean I think the possession stats are around 75% to City which we would have expected but when he’s been called upon he’s dealt with it well.
“I mean the goal that was disallowed was a foul, which is fair enough, and one chance right towards the end, the header wide, but other than that he looks solid, looks confident.”
Braithwaite had a positive debut
With Nathan Ake out injured, Guardiola chose to give the 16-year-old defender his senior debut, making him the 90th player the Spaniard has used at City since his arrival back in 2016.
During his time on the pitch against Watford, the youngster accurately completed 62 of the 65 passes he attempted.
He also made two tackles, one interception and won three of the four ground duels he was involved in before being replaced by Josko Gvardiol in the 76th minute.
After the game, Braithwaite said that making his senior City debut was a dream come true for him and his family, which goes to show how proud he is to play for the club.
Now that James has shared how confident he thought the youngster looked in the first half against Watford, this should give the defender the belief that he could go on to play more games for the first team.
