Nicky Weaver claimed that Mateo Kovacic is the kind of player who only gets truly appreciated by his teammates.
The Croatian midfielder was hailed by Paul Dickov for his impressive showing for Manchester City in their 6-2 victory against Luton Town in the FA Cup.
So far, Kovacic’s time at the Etihad Stadium seems to have split opinion.
Nicky Weaver says players like Mateo Kovacic are only truly appreciated by their teammates
While some feel that the 29-year-old has impressed for the Sky Blues, others view him as a replacement for Ilkay Gundogan and not an ideal one up until this point.
The former Chelsea technician has also just started a mere 10 games in the Premier League for Pep Guardiola’s men so far, as he has been in and out of the team during his debut campaign at the club.
But Nicky Weaver seems to feel Mateo Kovacic is underappreciated by the masses and is the kind of player who truly gets his deserved praise from his teammates.
“It’s a fantastic goal. He’s a player that I think players who play with him really appreciate because he does a lot of the simple things really well”, he said on City’s official post-match show [via YouTube].
“He links the play well and he’s a terrific player and it was a great, great finish and yeah, he will get a little recognition for that.”
Players like Mateo Kovacic go under the radar
In our view, Nicky Weaver is spot on in his assessment of how Mateo Kovacic is viewed.
With the midfield maestro not being as dynamic a player as Kevin De Bruyne, as much of a destroyer as Rodri or as well-rounded as Bernardo Silva, it is easy for his performances to slip under the radar.
However, Mateo Kovacic’s display against Luton was a reminder that almost every time he has been called upon by Manchester City, he has delivered.
Perhaps those who recognise Kovacic’s elite technique, smart decision-making, ability to operate in deeper areas and stunning dribbling would rate him very highly.
However, many seem not to and as a result, a top player like him has seemingly become quite underrated, whether it be for Chelsea, Manchester City or even for the Croatian national team.
