Yan Couto has expressed his desire to be coached by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
The 21-year-old, who is currently on loan at Girona has always been tipped to have a bright future and in all fairness to him, he has lived up to such expectations in Spain.
However, the question has always been whether Couto would be able to make the cut at the Etihad Stadium one day.
Pedro Porro, who was also a talented right-back signed by Girona in 2017 before his move to City in 2019 was sent out on loans to Real Valladolid and Sporting CP before being sold to the Portuguese side in 2022.
Despite Porro’s talent, which was for all to see in Portugal and then for Tottenham Hotspur, he did not make the grade for the Sky Blues.
Yan Couto expresses “dream” to work under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City
But the Brazilian’s case might be different to the Spurs defender’s, with a report in late January claiming that he is viewed as the long-term successor to Kyle Walker at Manchester City.
Furthermore, it was claimed that the treble-winners were intending to integrate Couto into their squad next season, with Guardiola also believed to be keen on doing so.
Speaking to TNT Sports Brasil, Yan Couto stated that he would love to be managed by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
“I don’t always have contact with [Pep] Guardiola. But whenever I’m there we talk, he’s a very nice person, he’s always open to listening to us. So I think that’s why he’s so successful and he’s a really good team player. So let’s see, I dream of playing with him because he’s an extraordinary coach. And I hope that one day I can play with him”, he said.
The youngster was quizzed about his plans at City as well as his future in general, as he stated, “So, I don’t know yet. I’m talking a lot with my agents, we have to start planning our objectives, we also have to see, I’m part of City, I have a contract until 2026. It’s a conversation we have a lot with them, about what they expect for the future. We’ll talk and decide, nothing has been decided yet, we’ll have to see if I go to pre-season or not. If they want to be with me.”
“But I don’t think I can say about the future yet, it’s still early, it’s towards the end of the season, towards the European summer. And well, as I said, I’m focused on football, I leave it to my agents, I’m trying to do my bit, and I think it’s been a very good season for me and Girona.”
Will Manchester City fancy the Brazilian with him not being the best defensively?
While Yan Couto is undeniably talented, whether Pep Guardiola and Manchester City will fancy his profile is the question.
Since last season, Guardiola has prioritised full-backs who can defend first, while the youngster’s defensive game leaves a lot to be desired, especially in one-versus-one situations and in terms of winning duels.
Going forward, Yan Couto is certainly impressive, registering eight assists in La Liga this season but even so, it will be interesting to see if his attacking exploits will be sufficient for the Catalan tactician to decide whether to help him up his defensive capabilities or look elsewhere for a different profile of right-back.