Rayan Ait-Nouri completed his transfer to Manchester City on Monday, and now, the former Wolves wing-back has played his first match since leaving Molineux.
Ait-Nouri joined Man City for £33.7 million and signed a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium after half a decade at Wolves.
Former Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes influenced Ait-Nouri’s decision to join up with Pep Guardiola’s squad after making the same transfer two years ago.
Nunes departed Molineux as a villain, though, after refusing to train to force a move, while his new City teammate has left with the best wishes of Wolves fans.
Supporters felt Ait-Nouri has earned his move to a bigger club, having become one of the Premier League’s best wing-backs, and now, he’s played his first match since exiting.
Photo by CHRISTINE OLSSON/TT/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by CHRISTINE OLSSON/TT/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images
How Rayan Ait-Nouri fared for Algeria against Sweden
Ait-Nouri was called up to the Algeria squad for their friendlies against Rwanda and Sweden during the June international break.
As the 24-year-old was finalising his transfer to Man City, he missed the 2-0 win over Rwanda, but he was restored to the starting lineup against Sweden.
The Swedes opened up a four-goal lead on Tuesday evening, including a hat-trick from Ken Sema, though Algeria nearly fought back.
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Second-half goals from Ismael Bennacer, Yassine Benzia, and Nabil Bentaleb made the score 4-3, but they couldn’t find an equaliser late on.
A graphic showing Rayan Ait-Nouri's stats for Algeria against Sweden
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Ait-Nouri was unsurprisingly influential down the left flank as he made two key passes, completed two successful dribbles and won seven of his duels.
For the Man City fans watching on, it was a glimpse of the attacking quality he will bring to Guardiola’s team next season.
How Ait-Nouri can become one of the world’s best wing-backs
Last season, Ait-Nouri’s talent in the final third truly exploded into life, with the Algerian recording the most goal involvements of any defender in the Premier League.
The former Angers man has matured as a player and now makes the correct decisions in attack, something that Guardiola requires from his star-studded squad.
But for him to truly cement his place as one of the best in world football, Ait-Nouri must improve defensively, as highlighted by Micah Richards.
There are times when he can get caught high up the pitch and leaves space for opponents. Of course, with Man City dominating most of the ball, Ait-Nouri will constantly be on the attack.
However, a minor detail that is missing from his game is knowing when to go forward and track back for his team, which is an attribute that will develop under Guardiola.