Nottingham Forest colossus Murillo has revealed how he would react if Pep Guardiola gave him a call and asked him to join Manchester City.
The 22-year-old signed for Forest in the summer of 2023.
The Brazilian played a key role in his side managing to stay up and not be relegated to the Championship.
At the end, Nottingham Forest were six points adrift of the relegation zone in 17th place during the 2023/2024 season.
When Forest faced Manchester City in their 2-0 defeat in April, Erling Haaland notably went past Murillo and found the back of the net; a game where the youngster would have realised how much quality the Sky Blues possess as they were second best for most of the contest on the balance of play.
Murillo expresses desire to work with Pep Guardiola at Man City
While Nottingham Forest underwhelmed last season, the former Corinthians defender was one of their few shining lights in the team.
Murillo showcased that he is brilliant at defending inside the box, capable with the ball at his feet, physically imposing and aggressive.
During Liverpool’s late 1-0 win over Forest in March, the Sau Paulo-born centre-back was one of the best players on the pitch — keeping Cody Gakpo quiet, who was the Reds’ striker on the day.
When quizzed about how he would react if Pep Guardiola asked him to join Manchester City by calling him directly, Murillo admitted he would be open to the move.
As quoted by journalist Rômulo Giacomin, he revealed: “I would tremble. I think everyone nowadays dreams of playing for Manchester City, Real Madrid, especially at the stage they are at. They win at least one title every year and it’s a lot of competitiveness, not only from the coach, but from the players.”
Proof of how Manchester City are viewed in the game
The revelation from Murillo is an indicator that since Pep Guardiola has taken over Manchester City, he has transformed them from being a massive club to an elite side.
The fact that City are viewed by Premier League players as a club with the same stature as Real Madrid is indicative of their growth over the years.
Ultimately, the English giants’ ongoing dynasty is one that will be remembered for years and will have an impact on how they are viewed for decades — as is the case with Manchester United, despite their chronic failure since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.
Guardiola has ensured Manchester City are habitual history-makers and players like Murillo consider the club as the ultimate destination to reach in their careers nowadays.
