Matheus Nunes has revealed how Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias helped convince him to accept his move to right-back at Man City.
Nunes joined City as a midfielder in 2023 and initially had little enthusiasm for the idea of playing in defence. Even as others told him the position suited him, the Portugal international remained unconvinced.
“I would tell my friends all the time, ‘I’m not a full-back, I’m not a full-back’. And they would always say, no, but you play so good there, you play so good,” Nunes said.
Bernardo and Dias were even more persistent.
“The teammates, Bernardo and Ruben, were so annoying all the time as well, they were in my head constantly as well, ‘You were good there, you were good there. You need to accept it.’
“And I was like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. All the time.”
Nunes admits he had to change his mind
Eventually, Nunes began to listen.
“At a certain point you just have to see what the people are saying,” he said. “You can’t be denying it for the rest of your life. If you do, maybe you miss your chance. And if I did that I would have missed it.”
Pep Guardiola’s response once Nunes started playing regularly at right-back also helped change his view of the position.
“The way he believed in me once I changed to that position, I felt there was a bit of a difference also in the way that we interacted with each other after I played there,” Nunes said.
The switch has survived the change of manager. Nunes has quickly established himself under Enzo Maresca and carried the ball 150 metres from 14 carries during City’s derby win at Old Trafford last weekend.
His development at right-back follows the early questions over how the position would affect City’s balance, while Nunes has also discussed working under Maresca after Guardiola’s departure.
There is an added twist to Sunday’s game against Sunderland. Nunes’s stepfather supports the Black Cats and has a season ticket at the Stadium of Light.
“When I have an argument with my father, I can go to the game and p*** him off,” Nunes joked.
Nunes’s full interview is available via the Manchester Evening News.
LIVE! Premier League 2026/27 News, Transfers, Updates & Viral Moments
