Gary Neville likened Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol to Paolo Maldini during his side’s 3-0 victory against Manchester United.
Commentating for Sky Sports during the Manchester Derby, the popular pundit had his say on the £200,000-a-week (Sport Rac) man’s display.
It’s fair to say that Gary Neville was seriously impressed by Josko Gvardiol as Manchester City were in cruise control against Manchester United.
Gary Neville compares Josko Gvardiol to Paolo Maldini as Manchester City beat Manchester United
Branded as ‘phenomenal’ by Mateo Kovacic, the 21-year-old was initially quite shaky during the clash, ceding possession on a couple of occasions, which led to avoidable turnovers.
However, Gvardiol grew into the game over time, carrying the ball excellently and defending like a rock whenever he was called into action.
Gary Neville certainly noted this as he showered Manchester City colossus Josko Gvardiol with praise by likening him to Paolo Maldini against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
“Gvardiol is having a field day out there. He’s turned into Maldini”, he said.
Josko Gvardiol has been quietly splendid this season
Of course, Gary Neville was perhaps exaggerating to showcase the gulf in class between Manchester City and Manchester United by comparing the former RB Leipzig centre-back to one of the greatest left-backs in history.
However, the performance from the Croatian international on Sunday was nothing out of the ordinary.
One of the primary reasons why Gvardiol has looked ace as a left-back is due to his tremendous ball-carrying ability, whilst just technically, he is an absolute phenom for a defender.
As a result, every time Josko Gvardiol found himself in acres of space against United, he was not afraid to drive with the ball and find the likes of either Jack Grealish or Bernardo Silva.
Perhaps the Manchester Derby opened several fans and pundits’ eyes to the fact that the youngster is one hell of a prospect, as he has been a class act for City since day one.
