“Made to play under Pep”, “Propa baller” - Manchester City fans in awe of summer signing’s ‘10/10’ debut in 5-3 Yokohama win
Manchester City fans were impressed with new signing Mateo Kovacic in their 5-3 win over Yokohama Marinos in a pre-season friendly on Sunday (July 23).
The Cityzens began their pre-season with an excellent win at the Japan National Stadium. The hosts took the lead via Anderson Lopes and doubled it through Ken Matsubara.
City, though, restored parity in the first half through John Stones and Julian Alvarez. Erling Haaland and Rodri added a goal each for the visitors in the second half before Kenta Inoue scored a third for Yokohama. Haaland then completed the scoring in stoppage time.
Fans were impressed with Mateo Kovacic's performance as he made his debut for Manchester City. The Croatian midfielder played 45 minutes on Sunday having arrived from Chelsea for £30 million earlier this summer. One fan tweeted:
Another wrote:
Here are some other reactions as Mateo Kovacic impressed during his Manchester City debut against Yokohama Marinos:
Kovacic, 29, joined Manchester City after a five-year spell with Chelsea, where he won one UEFA Champions League title, among other trophies.
He joined the Blues on loan from Real Madrid in 2018 before the move was made permanent the following year. The Croat made 221 appearances for the west London side, scoring six goals and providing 15 assists.
After Manchester City's pre-season friendly win over Yokohama Marinos, manager Pep Guardiola heaped praise on Mateo Kovacic. He admitted that the midfielder needs more time to settle in properly but hailed his ability (via mancity.com):
Guardiola also shared his thoughts on the win:
City won the continental treble last season, becoming the first English team to do so since Manchester United in the 1998-99 season. They will hope to build on that
Read on sportskeeda.com
