Manchester City have bought, loaned and sold a multitude of players since Pep Guardiola took charge of the team back in 2016.
Like every club in the world, not every signing City made worked out for them.
One player the Blues signed but failed to see make a significant impact on the team was Zack Steffen.
Arriving at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2019 after the club sealed a deal worth £7m (via BBC Sport) to sign him from Columbus Crew in December 2018, Steffen made just 21 appearances for Guardiola’s side.
He also completed two loan deals away from the club before joining Colorado Rapids on a free transfer in the previous January window.
Not far off a year later, the 29-year-old has shared his thoughts on the player who stopped him from becoming a regular in the City team – Ederson.
Zack Steffen opens up on Ederson after Man City rivalry
In a recent interview with the Manchester Evening News, Steffen gave this honest assessment about Ederson and how it was for him to rival the Brazilian to be City’s first-choice goalkeeper during their time together at the club.
He said: “I wanted to push Eddy and get up to speed with the training. I watched Eddy like a hawk to try and take in everything he did. He is such an amazing ‘keeper.
“My mentality was to be open-minded, push, work hard, support him and grow as a player. That was the first time in my career that I was a back-up. It is not an easy position to be in.”
Alisson Becker also rates Ederson
Another goalkeeper who knows all about competing with the 31-year-old in the same team is Alisson Becker – who discussed Ederson and how he feels about the City star back in September.
He said: “Ederson is a fantastic guy. In the national team, we have a really good relationship.
“Sometimes we cross each other at school, our kids study at the same school, and I can say from my side that I really like the way Ederson, his composure, how he’s cool with the ball at his feet.
“And I saw that in my game sometimes, I was too concerned when I have the ball that I didn’t think clearly.
“So when I look at him playing, I can see, this is the way I have to play. I have to be cooler with the ball at my feet even if I am under pressure.
“I think in a way, we push each other. Because I see him doing well, and I know I have to do better. Healthy competition. We push each other. It is the best for the national team.”
Since joining the Manchester club back in the 2017 summer transfer window, the Brazilian has made 346 appearances for the Citizens across all competitions, keeping 158 clean sheets and winning multiple trophies along the way.
With Steffen now opening up about how it was for him to have Ederson as a teammate and how it felt to work with him on the training ground, this should further showcase how much of a top goalkeeper the Brazilian is as well as highlighting how Steffen had the right mindset despite not playing regularly.
