Pep Guardiola has stated that Manchester City have a gift of a player following his performance against Huddersfield on Wednesday night.
The Manchester club were comfortable 2-0 winners over the League One side in their Carabao Cup Third Round tie, with Phil Foden running the show on the night with an impressive performance that included a goal and an assist.
Others caught the eye against Huddersfield, with Man City fans calling for Savinho to be kept on the left, Divine Mukasa impressed while leading the line for City, and Guardiola was very pleased with one of his midfield stars.
The legendary coach labelled the player as a “gift” after the full-time whistle, a period in which the Spaniard spent a significant amount of time coaching his player.
Pep Guardiola thinks Nico Gonzalez is a “gift”
Nico Gonzalez put in another solid display in a Man City shirt against Huddersfield on Wednesday night as the 23-year-old bossed the midfield in the contest.
The Spaniard impressed his manager with his display; however, Guardiola spent some time after the full-time whistle coaching the midfielder on the pitch.
When asked about this in his press conference, Guardiola said via Simon Bajkowski: “Nico is a young lad, and he’s incredibly coachable. When players want to be coachable, it’s a gift for all the managers. There are others who it is more difficult to tell them.”
Gonzalez was linked with a move away from Man City during the summer, and heading into the 2025/26 campaign, it was uncertain what Guardiola had planned for the midfielder, given the return of Rodri.
Guardiola’s interest in the player and his comments after the match show that the 23-year-old has a future at the Etihad Stadium. It is now up to the player whether he wants to accept a rotation role.
Nico Gonzalez’s Huddersfield performance in numbers
Gonzalez has been getting a nice number of minutes this season, but the Huddersfield match was the first time the midfielder started a game since the international break.
The midfielder impressed against the League One side, ending the match with a 94% pass accuracy, 3 chances created, 89 touches, 1/1 dribbles, 17 passes into the final third, 3 interceptions, 6 recoveries, and won 50% of his ground duels.
It was a solid display from Gonzalez on Wednesday night, and it will certainly aid his chances of getting more minutes across upcoming matches.
