“He has special qualities” – Pep Guardiola glows on ‘unique’ Manchester City star who has barely played this season | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has glowed with praise on midfielder Matheus Nunes, following his performance in the 2-1 win over Watford on Tuesday night.

The Portugal international earned himself a rare start in the Manchester City line-up as Pep Guardiola was forced into significant rotation from their 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League just 49 hours earlier.

Scoring his first goal in a Manchester City shirt after moving to the Etihad Stadium from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2023, Matheus Nunes put in a commendable performance from a central midfield role, offering support both defensively and offensively.

There remains a strong chance that Nunes could be handed a significant role this season by Pep Guardiola, with the club having to come to terms with the lengthy absence of Rodri as a result of his knee injury sustained against Arsenal.

Speaking after Manchester City’s win that sent the club into the fourth round of this season’s Carabao Cup, Pep Guardiola was keen to pile on the praise for the Portugal international during his post-match press conference.

“He has special qualities that few players we have, he is unique in space, and in transitions, he’s unbelievable,” Guardiola said of Nunes. “I’m really pleased for him and for the goal, he could’ve scored more.”

The City coach continued, “And still he has some things he has to read and to understand because it’s not easy sometimes with new players to adapt to a few things. But I’m really pleased for him, because he’s a lovely guy and lovely guys always deserves good things.”

It remains to be seen just how much match action in crucial contests and within Premier League matches Matheus Nunes will be handed in the coming weeks, however the absence of Rodri will no doubt increase expectations of all central players.

Among those leading the chase to hold down the solo defensive midfield slot is Mateo Kovacic, with the Croatian international having impressed during Manchester City’s opening four matches in the division where the club held a 100 per cent winning record.

Rico Lewis and John Stones will no doubt be handed opportunities in a double-pivot format whilst Ilkay Gundogan has a strong understanding of what is required by Pep Guardiola given his experience working with the coach since 2016.