Manchester City cruised to a routine 2-0 win over a hapless Leicester City side on Wednesday night to move up to fourth in the Premier League table.
Jack Grealish opened the scoring in the second minute, firing home from inside the box after connecting with Savinho’s superb cut-back.
Manchester City barely broke a sweat against Leicester, who never looked like getting back in the game after Omar Marmoush made it 2-0.
While Grealish and Marmoush took most of the plaudits, another player clocked up some solid stats and showed that he can give Pep Guardiola plenty to work with.
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
READ MORE: Man City fans have all noticed the same thing about Omar Marmoush after 2-0 win vs Leicester City
Manchester City gem Savinho gives Pep Guardiola food for thought with energetic display against Leicester
The player in question is Savinho, who delivered a typical energetic performance as he created chances aplenty for his teammates.
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The 20-year-old delivered five key passes to his teammates, created one big chance – the assist – and won six of his 11 ground duels.
Savinho also chipped in with two tackles and an interception, along with completing 38 of his 41 passes on the night.
Savinho stats v Leicester
Assists 1
Touches 61
Accurate passes 38/41 (93%)
Key passes 5
Big chances created 1
Shots on target 1
Shots blocked 1
Dribble attempts (succ.) 4 (2)
Ground duels (won) 11 (6)
Interceptions 1
Total tackles 2
Admittedly, Savinho is far from the finished product when it comes to finishing, but he’s just 20 years old, so there’s plenty of time for him to develop this.
As things stand, Savinho can become an assist machine, especially if City can bring in an expert midfield passer who can set him and Jeremy Doku up regularly.
Last year, Glenn Hoddle compared Savinho to Riyad Mahrez – if all goes well, the young Brazilian may well become Mahrez Mk II.
How Pep Guardiola has been coaching Savinho
Savinho spoke ahead of the game about what it’s like working under Guardiola.
“Pep has helped me a lot,” he said.
“He always tells me not to change my personality of playing on the front foot, of always trying, if I make a mistake to try again.
“He speaks to all of the players like this, giving them confidence.
“It’s difficult when you make mistakes in the game, you end up losing your confidence.
“But he gives me a lot of confidence when I’m involved in a goal, make a pass or complete a dribble, he always motivates me.
“I’m so grateful for his support.”