BBC pundit Garth Crooks has claimed that Manchester City now have someone who is much better than Joao Cancelo.
After joining Bayern Munich on loan during the 2023 January transfer window, Cancelo then joined Barcelona on a season-long loan last summer.
With reports of a behind-the-scenes falling out with Pep Guardiola surrounding the Portuguese international before leaving for Bayern, it came as no surprise that the full-back was shipped out of City on another loan deal during the previous summer window.
Now though, a player currently in the City squad has been praised for his recent performances and even claimed to be better than Cancelo was for the Citizens.
Crooks says Josko Gvardiol is better than Cancelo
In his latest Team of the Week column for BBC Sport, Crooks had this to say about Josko Gvardiol and his latest performance for the Blues in their 4-0 win over Fulham.
He said: “The lad can’t stop scoring. Ever since he hit that scorcher against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu, Gvardiol hasn’t stopped hitting the back of the net.
“His first of two goals against Fulham was not just beautifully finished by the Croatia international but the entire move for the goal was Manchester City at their finest.
“Many of us thought that when Joao Cancelo walked out of Etihad Stadium, having appeared to have fallen out with Pep Guardiola, the manager had made a terrible mistake.
“Cancelo had played a significant part in winning back-to-back Premier League titles and was in sparkling form.
“Guardiola didn’t lose a wink of sleep over Cancelo’s departure, he just replaced the full-back with someone better.”
Gvardiol’s impressive debut season with City
Since joining the Manchester club last summer in a deal worth £77m, the Croatian has made 39 appearances across all competitions before tonight’s game against Tottenham Hotspur, chipping in with five goals and two assists.
His performances in the Premier League have earned him a solid season rating of 7.01/10 from WhoScored, making him the seventh-highest-rated player in the City squad.
While the 22-year-old has predominantly played in the left-back position this season when he has usually been a centre-back previously, the fact that Crooks thinks he has been better than Cancelo, who scored nine goals and provided 21 assists in 154 appearances for City, is a big testament to how impressive the new City defender has been throughout his debut season.
