Antoine Semenyo reveals opening chat with Pep Guardiola upon Manchester City arrival | OneFootball

Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo has given a peak through the curtain into his first conversation with Pep Guardiola upon joining from Bournemouth in January.

Semenyo has scored four goals in his first month at the Etihad Stadium, including a crucial opening strike in the first leg of Manchester City’s Carabao Cup semi-final tie against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park in January.

The 26-year-old has bolstered a Manchester City frontline that has often been overly reliant on Erling Haaland in the final third this term, with Guardiola wanting to spread the goals around and alleviate the burden on Haaland’s shoulders.

City came from behind to beat Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday as they stay six points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal, with goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland completing an incredible comeback for the title-chasing Blues.

Semenyo started alongside Haaland and Omar Marmoush in attack against Liverpool on Sunday, with the Ghanian already one of the first names on Guardiola’s teamsheet – just over a month into his £64 million arrival from Bournemouth.

In an interview with Sky Sports, the Manchester City forward has provided insight into his first conversation with Guardiola upon joining forces with the Catalan in the north-west.

“The first thing he (Guardiola) said to me when I came was, just continue playing your game. Play free, express yourself, shoot, dribble, do whatever feels right for you,” Semenyo said.

“He doesn’t want me to take away from my game because it’s a passing team and we keep the ball. There’s going to be moments in the game where I can express myself, so that gives me a lot of confidence.

“I feel like the way Pep wants to play, it’s almost like you want to commit defenders. You want to commit midfielders. And once the space is opened up, you either go into it or you go behind.

“It’s just so many minor things that I wouldn’t think about, but he thinks about. It’s like I’m now thinking about it because of what he says a lot. Adjusting to this system has definitely been key for me.

“I feel like the players I have around me, they make it so easy for me. And they give me so many instructions, just being positive as well, and they obviously set me up to score my goals. So they make life easy for me.”

Semenyo is expected to have a major say in Manchester City’s finish to the season, with the Blues competing for silverware on all fronts in their first year under the stewardship of director of football Hugo Viana.