Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard was effusive in his praise of Man City defender Nico O’Reilly following the 2-1 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
The 20-year-old scored the equaliser at the Bernabeu, but he also put in a shift defensively, and Gerrard says O’Reilly’s performance bodes well for both club and country:
“He performed way beyond his years. Composure, he defended really well, at the right times.”
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“Rodrygo was magnificent tonight. But for a young kid, he had [to deal with] Vinicius and Rodrygo when he had to. A great sign from an England point of view.”
Guardiola was also keen to highlight O’Reilly’s display
Manager Pep Guardiola was slightly more guarded with his comments. He does rate the player very highly, but he clearly feels there is still room for improvement:
“He’s top! Right now, apparently, he’s the left-back for the England national team! He has incredible pace, he’s so intelligent. Yeah, he makes mistakes but he tries, and that is top!”
O’Reilly, of course, started his career as a midfielder, but it is looking like he could well thrive as a left-back, especially after the way he played at the Bernabeu.
Can Man City win the Champions League?
After beating Real in their backyard, it has got some people debating whether the Cityzens can go all the way this season, but Guardiola wanted to play down such talk in his post-match press conference, stating that they will need “better” performances than the one they put in on Wednesday.
It also shouldn’t be forgotten that Guardiola’s team lost at home to Bayer Leverkusen in their last European fixture, so they shouldn’t be getting too far ahead of themselves. Securing a top-eight finish in the table is the priority at the moment.
Read more about the Man City First Team Squad for 2025/26 here