Manchester City signed Gianluigi Donnarumma on deadline day, as the Italian finally managed to earn a move away from Paris Saint-Germain after being excluded from the club’s squad by manager Luis Enrique.
Doubts remain about the 26-year-old’s suitability to Pep Guardiola’s possession-based system, with James Trafford and former goalkeeper Ederson believed to be more capable on the ball.
Today’s [Corriere dello Sport](https://www.corrieredellosport.it/news/calcio/italia/2025/09/02-142917868/donnarumma_che_accoglienza_in_nazionale_e_quel_lancio_alla_pirlo_) tries to dispel those doubts, as they look back on what was an eventful day for the new Manchester City player.
The newspaper note that before joining the Italy camp under new manager Rino Gattuso, Donnarumma underwent his Citizens’ medical at the Coverciano centre in Florence and was accompanied by his agent Enzo Raiola.
At around 5:30pm Italian time, he arrived for training with the Azzurri squad and this came as a bit of a relief for him after being frozen out of the PSG squad by Enrique.
They describe Monday as a ‘day of liberation’ for the ex-AC Milan player because in those 24 hours, he completed all the formalities for a Manchester City transfer and also trained for the first time in weeks.
The newspaper report that during the session, Donnarumma played a superb 30-yard pass for Italy teammate Andrea Cambiaso.
Corriere dello Sport believe that ‘he looked like Pirlo’ at that point and impressed with his ability on the ball during the session, suggesting that he might be pretty comfortable under Guardiola.
They emphasise that Donnarumma is a supreme shot-stopper and will add that strength to the Spaniard’s system, having shown those abilities on English soil in the past.
Despite this positive promotion, the Azzurri captain is still a questionable fit for Guardiola’s system and it will be interesting to see how this stint pans out.