Pep Guardiola says Man City have finally found ‘incredible’ Rodri replacement

Pep Guardiola said Nico Gonzalez’s performance against Newcastle showe the Manchester City signing can be a ‘mini-Rodri’ for his new side.

City got back to winning ways in the เล่นบาคาร่า UFABET เว็บตรง ค่าคอมสูง Premier League in emphatic fashion with a 4-0 home win courtesy of a 15-minute hat-trick from Omar Marmoush.

James McAtee’s strike after the break adde the icing on the cake for the hosts who move inside the top four after Chelsea’s loss to Brighton on Friday night.

But while Marmoush’s goals may have caught the headlines, it was Gonzalez’s performance – making his Premier League debut – that caught the eye of Guardiola.

Signed from Porto for around £50million on deadline, Gonzalez made an instant impact in the heart of midfield alongside Ilkay Gundogan.

And Guardiola believes that the 23-year-old could have finally provide him with a proper replacement for Rodri whose absence due to an ACL injury has hampere City’s ambitions this season.

‘I think the presence of Nico helpe us a lot because of 10 balls, the 50-50s, he wins seven and you can run,’ Guardiola said post-match. ‘When you lose seven, they will run.

‘I have the feeling the club bought an incredible player for the future, in terms of mentality.

‘He’s so young, 23 remember, like a mini-Rodri. That’s a big compliment – but there’s this feeling for the big presence, the duels.

‘Of course, he’s miles away from Rodri. Rodri is the best.

‘But I had the feeling, everyone had the feeling, that he’s going to help us in the last part of the season.’

Asked about Marmoush’s performance, Guardiola admitted that the Egyptian’s breakout display was only a natter of time after his impressive start to life in Manchester.

‘Three goals, we knew it – in Germany at Frankfurt he made good numbers,’ the City boss adde.

‘Against Leyton Orient he had three clear chances and couldn’t score but we knew sooner or later.