Manchester City fans got a first sighting of Rayan Ait-Nouri at the Club World Cup, and the excitement for his time at the club is high.
The Algerian joined the club from Wolves recently in a £36 million deal – a fee that has seen Manchester City come in for praise.
Rayan Ait-Nouri didn’t feature in City’s Club World Cup opener against Wydad AC.
But Pep Guardiola rang the changes against Al Ain, with Ait-Nouri starting and playing a full game.
And Ait-Nouri wowed City fans on his debut, as he linked up with his new teammates like he’s known them for years.
Pep Guardiola heaped praise on Ait-Nouri for his performance, and it certainly looks as though City have a real gem on their hands.
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After the 6-0 win over Al Ain, Ait-Nouri posted a message to City fans on Instagram.
Rayan Ait-Nouri sends messages to Man City fans after amazing debut
Rayan Ait-Nouri playing for Manchester City against Al Ain.
Photo by Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Ait-Nouri was a breath of fresh air against Al Ain.
Of course, he will have much sterner tests in a City shirt, but this was an exciting debut nonetheless.
Ultimately, Ait-Nouri has only just joined, but was still able to look totally comfortable in the team, and the way he was able to link up with players in his vicinity was really impressive.
Guardiola’s post-game verdict on the 24-year-old was really telling, and potentially, this could be such a fantastic signing.
And it wasn’t just Guardiola who was left really impressed by Ait-Nouri on his first outing for City.
Earlier today, Ait-Nouri posted the 12-word message to City fans on Instagram: “Honoured to make my @mancity debut! We keep pushing for more 🩵”
A number of his new teammates responded:
Erling Haaland – ‘👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻’
Omar Marmoush – ‘Le R cest chaud🩵 (The R is hot)’
Oscar Bobb – ‘Wow Rayan😍’
Nathan Ake – ‘🔥🙌🏾’
Ait-Nouri is the signing Man City fans have been waiting for
It is great to see Ait-Nouri getting a lot of love from his new teammates and also thousands of City fans following his sensational debut against Al Ain.
The 24-year-old is such a talent, having impressed for a long time at Wolves, and he will now get to showcase his attributes on a bigger stage.
This is a signing that many City fans have wanted to see for some time.
It has been years since City actually signed a left-back, with Guardiola converting many players to that role, rather than using a natural option.
Given his amazing technical quality, Ait-Nouri could genuinely become the best player in the world in his position.