An on loan City youngster dreams of being managed by Pep Guardiola but will he get his wish?

Manchester City youngster Yan Couto dreams of being managed by Pep Guardiola. The full-back has starred for Girona this season in La Liga as they have risen to second in the La Liga table this season. Given that the City youngster has expressed his wish to be managed by Guardiola, is there a chance that it could become a reality this summer?

In an interview with TNT Sports Brasil Yan Couto expressed his desire to play under Guardiola. The Brazilian international said: “I don’t always have contact with (Pep) Guardiola. But whenever I’m there we talk, he’s a very nice person, he’s always open to listening to us. So I think that’s why he’s so successful and he’s a really good team player. So let’s see, I dream of playing with him because he’s an extraordinary coach. And I hope that one day I can play with him.”

Could there potentially be a role at Manchester City for Yan Couto?

A time will come when Manchester City will have to replace Captain Kyle Walker. It doesn’t appear to be a pressing need given Walker’s stature at the club, but sooner rather than later, the time will come when City will have to move on from their captain.

Yan Couto does play at right-back, but he isn’t a similar type of a player to the England captain. The strengths of Couto’s game are more on the attacking side rather than defensively. As an attacking weapon for Girona this season, he has scored one goal and added 8 assists in 32 appearances. As an attacking full-back, Couto could potentially slot into the Manchester City squad.

But defensively, it would appear that he still has to develop that side of his game before he becomes a viable option for Pep Guardiola. During Girona’s 4-nil loss to Real Madrid in February, Couto was given a torrid time by Vinicius Junior. Real Madrid’s Brazilian star is capable of tormenting any defender on his day. But that particular performance from the City youngster was a reminder that he still has to grow his game defensively. Given that the world champions routinely play big games every season, it remains to be seen if they would go into big games with a right-back who can be exposed on big occasions.

There is potential for the City youngster to get his wish to play under Pep Guardiola. But he would need to work on the defensive side of his game to further his chances of making his dream a reality based on his performances this campaign for Girona.