Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo is one of the most versatile full-backs in the world. The Portuguese can operate as right-back and left-back, and has proven himself to be equally potent on both sides. Despite initially not finding enough playing time after moving from Juventus, he has made himself an integral presence at the Etihad.
A former Premier League-winning full-back and captain, Gary Neville, was full of praises for Cancelo, having played a crucial role in Manchester City’s astounding 2-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Neville had managed the 27-year-old during his time at Valencia, and said that Cancelo is beginning to realize his potential.
“There was a vulnerability to him when he was out there because he was so young. He is so hard on himself, Joao Cancelo. In training, I don’t know if he is still the same now, he used to be his biggest critic. If he made mistakse he would throw his arms on the ground and start cursing himself.
“You see players sometimes not realise their potential. He is realising his potential. I could not be happier for him as a person because I know how tough it was at Valencia at that time he and I were there,”
he former United captain said during “The Gary Neville Podcast”.
The Premier League-winner from 2020/21 had spent time in Spain and Italy before heading to England, and has had a pretty interesting journey to the top. Neville also added that he made plenty of calls to England back in the day to tell people what an exciting talent he was, alongside current Everton midfielder Andre Gomes.
Neville credited his time in Italy with Inter Milan and Juventus for helping him achieve that extra bit of toughness. In 2017, Valencia off-loaded the young full-back to Inter for a season, and upon impressing everyone in Italy, Juventus came knocking on Valencia’s door to buy the footballer. He spent just one season there at Juve, before the blues of Manchester made a move for him.
In the ongoing season, he has had the most touches in the Premier League (1,148), completed the third-most passes. No City player has put in more crosses into the box than Cancelo, who is continuing to lead the charts in plenty of other areas.
He assisted both the goals in the game with two brilliant crosses into the 6-yard box at Old Trafford, one of his left-foot and other of his right. His first cross from close to the touchline on the left side was fizzed in with pace, and Eric Bailly was a little late to intervene and clear the ball. He instead managed a wicked deflection that took it into the net, and got himself an own goal.
Towards the final moments of the first half, this time off his right foot, he swung in a delicious ball from the left side, and a sneaky run from Bernardo Silva won them a 2-goal cushion, which they maintained until the end. This brilliant show came right after making two assists against Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Cancelo was an integral figure in their title-winning campaign last season, where he scored twice and made three assists in 28 fixtures. He was also instrumental in taking his side to the Champions League final, where they lost to Chelsea 1-0.
Pep Guardiola’s side have an interesting run of fixtures after the international break, with games against Everton and West Ham in the Premier League at home, and including a game against PSG in the Champions League.
