Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has praised a player that the Citizens were linked with last season.
Back in March, journalist Graeme Bailey named the Manchester club as one of the sides keeping an eye on Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma.
Some months later, the City boss has been sharing his thoughts on the player.
Guardiola heaps praise on Mitoma
Speaking in a recent press conference ahead of the treble winners’ first pre-season friendly match against Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos, Guardiola had this to say about Mitoma when asked which Asian players he admires at the moment.
He said: “Mitoma has been incredible. He is in the right place, with the right manager. His last season was incredible.”
Back in the 2021 summer transfer window, Brighton signed the winger on a four-year contract from Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale before immediately loaning him out to Belgian side Royal Union Saint-Gilloise.
His first season with the Seagulls saw the 26-year-old score 10 goals and deliver eight assists across 41 appearances in all competitions.
In addition to that, the Japanese international ended the previous Premier League campaign with more goal-creating actions (15) and progressive carries (143) than any other player at the south coast club, which shows how much of an effective attacking player he is.
It also makes it easy to see why Guardiola has such admiration for him and his efforts last season.
Having been mentioned as one of the clubs that have had their eyes on the winger, it’d be interesting to see if he goes on to have another impressive season at Brighton and if City make an attempt to sign him in the next summer transfer window.
