Pep Guardiola has said that he believes Manchester City have lacked a player like Matheus Nunes in their squad.
After speaking about Rico Lewis’ display against Red Star Belgrade, the Catalan boss discussed what makes the Portuguese midfielder unique in his post-match press conference (via HaytersTV).
Recently as well, the Spaniard described the 25-year-old as “incredible.”
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City have not had a player like Matheus Nunes
Paul Dickov hailed the former Wolves dynamo’s showing as “outstanding” on Wednesday night as well.
Of course, the £53 million (Sky Sports) man also assisted Micah Hamilton’s stunning opener with a delicate pass.
After the clash, Pep Guardiola explained what makes Matheus Nunes one-of-a-kind in his Manchester City roster.
“Not just him [Rico Lewis], Matheus [Nunes], with his speed, his pace, he’s a typical player we don’t have. We have a lot of players [that play well] with the pockets but with space, Mateo [Kovacic] and Matheus have a special thing”, Guardiola said in his press conference (via HaytersTV).
Matheus Nunes can become the complete midfielder at the Etihad Stadium
Considering Pep Guardiola values Matheus Nunes as much as he does, that is one fundamental reason why he could be set to explode at Manchester City.
Looking at some of the ex-Sporting CP hero’s existing traits, he is incredible at driving forward with the ball at his feet, brilliant on the half-turn and extremely athletic.
These characteristics make Nunes a top-class box-to-box midfielder, as he can dictate his side’s attacking play while also having an engine on him, allowing him to become a vital contributor from a defensive perspective.
But interestingly, Matheus Nunes is already improving certain aspects of his game.
For instance, against Red Star Belgrade and on several other instances this season, the energetic midfielder seems to have developed a sense of when to perfectly arrive in and around the box.
Before joining Manchester City, Nunes was never associated with being a threat in the final third.
But if the Rio de Janeiro-born stalwart masters this skill and improves his shooting, he could become a goalscoring midfielder in the same vein as Ilkay Gundogan.
Nunes’ decision-making in the final third also looked like it had come a long way, as he constantly made the correct choice of pass but his execution of those final balls in particular perhaps underwhelmed.
With how excellent Matheus Nunes’ profile already is coupled with some of his improving traits, he could become a complete midfielder one day.
