Gvardiol praises Donnarumma’s quick adaption to life at Man City for strong start in England | OneFootball

Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol has praised Gianluigi Donnarumma’s quick adaption to English football after a strong start to life in England.

Donnarumma signed for the Citizens from French side Paris-Saint Germain in the summer after helping Luis Enrique’s side to Champions League glory, a domestic treble and the Club World Cup final.

After being made available for transfer, the 26-year-old was quickly snapped up by Pep Guardiola’s side to replace the departing Ederson, and the Italian has impressed in the Premier League and Champions League after a slow start to the campaign for City.

Gvardiol believes the Italian’s quick adaption to life in England is down to Donnarumma’s strong start, and that he will be an important player for the team.

“Man City as a club in the past have always they had really good goalkeepers,” Gvardiol said. “Gigi is one of them as well. He adapted really quick and that’s what I think is really important.

“I know when I joined Man City, how long it took me to adapt to the league, to all the competition. We are all happy that he’s part of our team and he’s been doing good as well.

“It’s not just about him, it’s about everyone in the team. I think we can do even better. The good thing I see is that we fight for each other, we work for each other, we communicate even more than before.

“Also, it’s much easier when you have a goalkeeper like Gigi. He’s really good on the ball, especially his height. He’s not afraid to come out of the line. I think he’s important for us.”

The Croatian was also very complimentary of teammate Phil Foden, who looks to be back to his best form after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. Gvardiol is just happy to see the 25-year-old doing well yet again.

“Yeah, definitely. We are all happy that we can see the Phil we used to see. Of course, we are here always to support him, to push him. He’s an incredible player, we all know his qualities, and me personally, I’m happy to see that he’s doing good.”