Pep Guardiola says “he is unique” ahead of De Bruyne’s Etihad return | OneFootball

Manchester City host the reigning Italian champions Napoli at the Etihad Stadium this Thursday, with club legend Kevin De Bruyne set to return to Manchester for the first time since his departure in the summer.

Pep Guardiola has said he is “not suprised” by the Belgian’s strong start to life in Italy.

“I am not surprised, players at that level they adapt so quick – they don’t need much time,” the City boss said. “His incredible talent, vision, pass, assists and goals in the final third – he is unique.

“Yes (I am excited to see him) after the game,” Guardiola also laughed.

Scott McTominay will return to Manchester tomorrow after his career rebirth in Naples, and it’s likely he will get a different reception to De Bruyne. However, Guardiola said he wasn’t shocked by his change of spirit in new colours either.

“He [McTominay] has really good conditions (in Naples). It’s a team that won the Serie A and when you win it means every player is always performing at their maximum levels,” he said.

Gianluigi Donnarumma made his full debut on Sunday against Manchester United, with the hosts running out 3-0 winners.

The Italian goalkeeper has been named ‘world class’ by his new boss;

“In the last decades, we have had incredible keepers. Gigi [Donnarumma] comes from many years at 26 years old. He is world class,” the former Barcelona boss said.

City are tipped to be one of the favourites in the competition, and their manager has urged the team to get off to a positive start in tomorrow’s fixture.

Despite his focus on the competition, Guardiola’s reply was: “Apparently we are not,” when asked if his side were favourites to win the UEFA Champions League this year.

“We have to start well in this competition,” he said. “There are more games than the previous season but if you start with a bad result then it becomes more difficult. We drew last season versus Inter, hopefully we can get a better result [against Napoli].

“Just enjoy the moment, the journey, we are happy to be here and just focus on the game tomorrow, the game we have to play,” he added. “The history of this organisation is that we take every game seriously.”