BBC pundit Micah Richards has singled out Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly for the impact he made after coming on for Abdukodir Khusanov at half-time in the FA Cup win over Bournemouth on Sunday.
The Cityzens were 1-0 down at the time, but O’Reilly provided assists for both goals as Pep Guardiola‘s side turned the tie on its head. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards said that the midfielder deserved all the plaudits and he can see why Chelsea were after his signature in January:
“We’ve talked about him before haven’t we, he scored a couple against Plymouth. He just exploited that space. I think Bournemouth, I wouldn’t say they dropped off but Man City pushed them back because you know Bournemouth like to play high press but he just saw the gaps and then it was the quality of his pass, the timing.”
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“I heard Chelsea wanted to buy him for £40 million. I heard it on the radio coming back, that’s the first time I’ve heard that but he was a real standout today. When he came on he changed the game.”
City are keen to keep hold of O’Reilly
Despite the enquiry from Chelsea, it never looked likely that the Premier League champions were considering letting the 20-year-old leave the Etihad.
There would certainly have been echoes of Cole Palmer if the deal had been allowed to go through. As things stand, O’Reilly could have a bright future with the Cityzens.
Who will be the club’s opponent in the FA Cup semi-final?
After negotiating their way past the Cherries, Guardiola’s men will have another tough tie in the next round when they take on Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees won their quarter-final by beating Brighton on penalties.
The semi-final will take place at Wembley on April 26th. It is the 7th time in a row that City have made it to this stage of the competition.
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