Donnarumma’s experience, presence will help Man City – Guardiola

By Emmanuel Okogba

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has praised the signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma, insisting the Italian goalkeeper volition bring captious acquisition and beingness to the squad arsenic the champions navigate a demanding season.

Donnarumma, 26, joined City from Paris Saint-Germain connected transportation deadline day, penning a five-year deal. The Euro 2020 victor arrives with an awesome résumé, having won the Champions League with PSG past play and antecedently spending implicit a decennary astatine AC Milan.

Speaking up of Sunday’s Manchester derby, Guardiola highlighted the qualities the towering shot-stopper volition adhd to his team.

“Gigi’s a 26-year-old with unthinkable experience,” Guardiola said. “He’s truthful tall, truthful huge, and helium gives assurance and property to the team. He’s a large beingness connected the biggest stages. He proved his prime successful galore games past season, and we are looking guardant to having him.”

Donnarumma’s accomplishment follows the earlier additions of goalkeepers James Trafford and Marcus Bettinelli. Guardiola stressed that portion lone 1 tin play astatine a time, City’s dense docket means opportunities volition travel for everyone.

“The play is truthful long,” helium noted. “Now starts the existent play with galore games, and everybody volition beryllium involved. We person the imaginable of Gigi, James, and the different players, and we volition usage them.”

While strengthening their goalkeeping department, City bid farewell to 3 acquainted faces. Club stalwarts Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson some departed connected imperishable deals to Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe respectively, portion defender Manuel Akanji joined Inter Milan connected a season-long loan.

Guardiola paid tribute to their contributions, peculiarly during City’s treble-winning run successful 2023.

“First of all, they merit immoderate words,” helium said. “It was unthinkable what we would person done without them. Eddie helped america make a peculiar mode and has been our keeper for the champion decennary successful the club’s history. Gundo was 1 of my champion signings, truthful astute and intelligent, and Manu gave america truthful overmuch too. I privation each 3 of them the precise best.”

For Guardiola, the summer’s changes correspond some an extremity and a beginning: farewells to trusted servants but the accomplishment of a goalkeeper helium believes tin basal gangly successful City’s adjacent era.

The station Donnarumma’s experience, beingness volition assistance Man City – Guardiola appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.