Lijnders on Semenyo debut and Man City’s current form after Exeter thrashing | OneFootball

Manchester City assistant manager Pep Lijnders praised Antoine Semenyo for his quick adaption to his new club after a goalscoring debut against Exeter City.

City cruised past their League One opponent in dominant fashion, defeating the Grecians 10-1 in this Third Round clash, with the Citizens having nine different scorers.

Antoine Semenyo made his debut for his new club from the start, after arriving from AFC Bournemouth on Friday in a £62.5 million deal, and instantly impressed, picking up a goal and assist, and Lijnders was delighted with how the Ghanian got on.

“I think a lot of good performances today, a lot of good individual performances,” Lijnders said. “I think when the team plays like that it becomes easier for the individual, but Antoine is settling well, he’s a humble guy, we follow him for a long time, but he brings something to the front line, what we really want and what we need.

“He can attack quick, he wants to chase, he’s a guy who doesn’t stop, and I think you see today that he can adapt quite quick as well to our style. It’s nice to have him with us.”

Victory means City progress to the Fourth Round yet again, making it 12 games unbeaten, with Pep Guardiola’s side still in contention for four trophies.

Lijnders believes there is a special belief around the club going into the second part of the season.

“I think we are now 12 games unbeaten. The last three games we wanted, of course, we created the chances to score more, to score more goals and to win the game. That would have already created a different position in the league.

“But overall I think we have a really special group, the amount of experienced players who take lead of the team, the way they guide all the others, the way new players are settling in, the energy, and I’m not only talking about the games, but especially training in the training centre, it’s special.

“We want to reach finals this year and we are on our way. We now play in the semi-final for the League Cup, we go further here in the FA Cup and we are in the Champions League, of course, we’re in a good position.”