- Pep Guardiola impressed by Matheus Nunes
- Defender started against Southampton
- Received tremendous praise from manager
Matheus Nunes was a midfielder not so long ago, but now Pep Guardiola believes he is among the world’s elite right-backs.
Pep Guardiola made plenty of changes to his starting line-up when Manchester City clashed with Southampton at the weekend.
However, Matheus Nunes completed another 90 minutes of action, as he continued to be Mr Reliable in City’s squad.
The Portugal international was constantly getting up the pitch, showcasing his abilities to attack as well as defend.
Pep Guardiola calls Matheus Nunes one of the best
It seems Guardiola is one of Nunes’ biggest fans, considering the praise he has recently heaped on the 27-year-old.
Nunes has made an impression on his boss due to the way his varied skillset in both halves of the pitch.
Guardiola said in his post-match press conference: “Matheus Nunes is becoming one of the best right-backs in the world; defensively, attention to the line, arriving to the by-line – many, many good things!”
The Man City manager was also complimentary about Rayan Ait-Nouri, noting how Omar Marmoush had ‘four of five chances’ created from the wide positions.
Man City have a poor record without Nunes
Nunes has rarely missed a match this season, making 44 appearances in all competitions. Interestingly, some of City’s results have not been good when he has either been unavailable or left on the bench.
In the Champions League, Nunes was left on the bench four times. Three of those matches ended in defeats to Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt and Real Madrid respectively.
The defender has missed three Premier League fixtures – one a loss to Tottenham Hotspur and the other a 2-0 setback at Old Trafford. This shows just how useful Nunes is to Guardiola and Man City.
Nunes is good enough to remain as City’s first choice right-back
Rumours concerning the right side of the Citizens’ defensive line have gone quiet. However, a few names have been mentioned since January, the most prominent of whom is Tino Livramento.
The Newcastle right-back would not come cheap to City and at such a high price he would be expected to become a regular starter.
Despite this, Nunes has been superb this season, and he has surely done enough to cement his place in the first-team.
It is clear that Man City need a new right-back, but perhaps they should be looking to identify a young understudy who could learn and develop under the guidance of Nunes.
