After Manchester City beat Yokohama F.Marinos 5-3 on Sunday, Pep Guardiola lavished praise on to Mateo Kovacic.
The Spanish tactician gave his two cents the £25 million (Sky Sports) man’s much-awaited debut Manchester Evening News after his side’s blockbuster start to pre-season.
It’s safe to say that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was left satisfied with how Mateo Kovacic fared against Yokohama F.Marinos, while speaking to Manchester Evening News journalist Simon Bajkowski.
Pep Guardiola raves about Mateo Kovacic after Manchester City beat Yokohama F.Marinos
Branded as ‘fantastic’ by Frank LeBouef, the Croatian international started in a midfield trio alongside Kalvin Phillips and James McAtee.
The 29-year-old started on the left-hand side, often picking up the ball from wide areas before drifting in centrally to dictate proceedings.
As Mateo Kovacic certainly looked comfortable in a Manchester City shirt against Yokohama F.Marinos, Pep Guardiola lauded his display.
“Really good. He is an exceptional player. It is just his first game. He has to know us, what we want, the reason why we are playing him in several positions. But really, really good”, the Catalan coach said.
Mateo Kovacic could reach his final form at City
If Mateo Kovacic looked the part for Manchester City against Yokohama F.Marinos, that could merely be the start of all the damage he is set to do at the Etihad Stadium.
Considering the former Real Madrid technician already has all the attributes to thrive at City, to now be coached by arguably the best manager of all time in Pep Guardiola could mean he reaches the peak of his powers.
At Chelsea, while Kovacic was a class act, it is key to note that there was a lot of instability in terms of managerial changes, whilst the style of play was far too defensive-minded for a player of his talents.
Furthermore, the decorated midfielder often had to run the show singlehandedly in the middle of the park at Stamford Bridge.
Playing alongside elite midfielders in the best team in the world and under a managerial great like Guardiola, Kovacic could well and truly hit unseen heights.
