A Manchester City starlet showed plenty in his first start for the club | OneFootball

Divine Mukasa made his first start for Manchester City last night during their 2-nil win over Huddersfield Town in their Carabao Cup third round tie at the Accu Stadium. How Mukasa would handle the step up to the City first team was of great curiosity entering the match. At the end of the game, Mukasa made quite the impression at the Accu Stadium. It was an impressive debut from a player who seems destined for bigger things at Manchester City.

Divine Mukasa showed plenty in a difficult role in last night’s win for Manchester City.

As last night’s match kicked off, it was clear that Divine Mukasa was tasked with playing as a false nine by Pep Guardiola. The role isn’t one that Mukasa has typically played throughout his young career. Mukasa is an attacking midfielder by trade, but he has the versatility to play in many attacking roles. That versatility was on display last night.

Outside of his versatility, Divine Mukasa showed an intelligence in his movement that highlights a maturity to his game. He took up dangerous positions in the final third, and he knew when to drift out wide or deeper into midfield. Divine Mukasa’s technical ability and talent are well known. Last night, he showed that the tactical side of his game is far more advanced than expected.

Of course, Divine Mukasa’s talent in possession is what makes him such a tantalising prospect. He wasn’t involved in the play as much as he would’ve liked, but the snippets of Mukasa’s talent were clear to see. He picked up an assist when his intelligent first touch pass set up Phil Foden’s first half goal last night. That pass showed the finesse in Mukasa’s game. He had other flashes of quality, and he did have several chances to score his first senior goal for Manchester City. But that goal didn’t come. You do feel like that goal will come sooner rather than later if last night’s performance from Mukasa is the template for what lies ahead for the young attacking midfielder.

Summary.

Divine Mukasa has long loomed as the next City academy player to break through at the club. Jack Gaughan has reported for the Daily Mail that no City academy player outside of Nico O’Reilly has caught Pep Guardiola’s eye more over the past 18 months than Divine Mukasa. Based on his first team debut against Huddersfield Town, it is clear to see why he has impressed Guardiola so much. Mukasa played a complicated role for Pep Guardiola’s side last night and he played well and provided enough glimpses to show that he will likely grow into a key player at Manchester City.