Pep Guardiola believes Man City’s Matheus Nunes can be ‘incredible’ right-back
By Andy Hampson, PA
Pep Guardiola believes he has discovered an “incredible” right-back option in Matheus Nunes.
The Portuguese midfielder has shone in the position for Manchester City this season.
Nunes was used as cover for Kyle Walker and Rico Lewis last season but following the former’s departure to Burnley, he is increasingly being seen as the first choice.
Lewis’ preference is to play in central midfield and two other players to have filled in at right-back this term, John Stones and Abdukodir Khusanov, have had fitness problems.
Nunes has started the last three games and City manager Guardiola feels the 27-year-old could have a future in the role.
Guardiola said: “He can be an incredible right-back because he’s a holding midfielder with incredible physicality. As much as he’s focused, he can become one of the best.
“It’s a question for him now. We talk a lot about it. It’s just ‘change your mind’ and ‘feel’ that you can feel it, you have this special attribute to play in the sides.
“It’s really the last two, three games he played – unbelievable.”
City travel to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, a side Nunes scored a late winner against in their last meeting in April.
After a dismal first half of the 2024-25 campaign, City finished strongly to secure third place and Guardiola felt the 2-1 success over Villa was a key result.
He said: “That game helped us to be in the Champions League this season because it was a battle, not just against Aston Villa, but many clubs, and that goal helped us a lot in the last games.
“Always it has been really tough, especially away, against Aston Villa. So it’s a really good test for us, of how we are.”
City are unbeaten in their last nine games in all competitions since suffering back-to-back losses to Tottenham and Brighton in August.
Their improvement has lifted them to second in the Premier League, three points behind leaders Arsenal.
Guardiola said: “We have good momentum but not the consistency for 90 minutes.
“Our mentality and our body language is in the right spot and it will make us stable but (we need to) play better during 95 minutes.”
City have moved above champions Liverpool, who have lost their last three matches after opening the season with five successive wins.
Guardiola said: “In the first two games, three games, for sure we are out and for Liverpool it is already done – now it looks like Liverpool is done. I tell you that they will be back.
“I know all the pundits, all the specialists, former players, they know everything that is going to happen after five games. I’m not able to do that.
“I always wait 10-15 games to know exactly what is going on. Liverpool, Arsenal, someone else, will be there. Hopefully we can be there.”