Mateo Kovacic has claimed that a certain Manchester City player is having an impressive season.
Kovacic’s claim can be attributed towards several City players, who have proven why they deserve to be named amongst some of world football’s very best.
Phil Foden has been remarkable this campaign, with Michael Dawson recently claiming that he is the best player in the world currently.
Kevin De Bruyne also went as far as to say that the 23-year-old can “make football history for the next 15 years.”
Steve Bruce claimed that in City’s current setup, Phil Foden is equally as important to their side as the aforementioned Belgian.
But Foden is far from the only player who has been terrific in a City shirt this season, with more defensive-minded players also shining.
Kovacic says “great player” at Manchester City is having a top season
Manuel Akanji is another player who has impressed this term, albeit, despite not being in the headlines like the Englishman.
City’s defence has been leaky this season and as a result, perhaps the club’s number 25’s showings have gone under the radar.
The Swiss international has not made many errors at the back and be it at centre-back, right-back or at left-back, he has put in a good account of himself, unlike some of his colleagues at the back.
But even against Real Madrid last Tuesday, with how many one-versus-one situations he was in with Rodrygo, Akanji could have crumbled like several other defenders.
Instead, the former Borussia Dortmund centre-back was seemingly up for the battle.
The 28-year-old did not seem afraid to exhibit his physicality to limit Rodrygo’s influence, which he did as the game wore on at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, another player who shone against Real Madrid was Josko Gvardiol, who Mateo Kovacic feels is having a class season.
“Josko [Gvardiol] is doing great, scoring goals and he’s happy here which is the most important thing”, he said about the £77.6 million man told The Sun.
“He’s loving Manchester life and enjoying his football. We know he is a great player, he just needs to keep going. We both feel comfortable and we love being here.”
Kovacic must be aware Gvardiol isn’t doing much differently from when he signed
Mateo Kovacic and those who have kept a close eye on Josko Gvardiol since the start of the season must not be surprised by how well he has been faring recently.
But perhaps a reason why Gvardiol’s displays are likely to be praised is because he is scoring goals nowadays.
In a generation “obsessed with stats”, as Jack Grealish stated, players tend to only be widely hailed once they start to score goals and assists, as might be the case with the 22-year-old.
But the reality is that a few errors perhaps convinced many that Gvardiol was an improper fit as a makeshift left-back.
When the truth is that Josko Gvardiol has looked incredible in that position and barring a few errors, he has not put a foot wrong, which makes his recent brilliant displays against Real Madrid and Arsenal far from coincidental.