Man City morning headlines as Brazilian wonderkid linked

All the latest Manchester City news, views and transfer rumours from the MEN

Here are your Manchester City morning headlines on Monday, 25 May.

City linked with Brazilian starlet Vinicius Tobias

Manchester City are being linked with 16-year-old Internacional wing-back Vinicius Augusto Tobias da Silva, with reports out of Italy suggesting they are one of a number of clubs hoping to land the youngster’s signature.

Tuttomercatoweb suggest that Vinicius Tobias is seen as one of the best in his age group in Brazil, with City set to go head-to-head with rivals United and Real Madrid all watching him.

As is usual for Brazilian teenagers, the deal would be with a view to moving when they turn 18.

The youngster has already played at under-16 youth level for Brazil and can play anywhere down the right flank.

Hart knew the writing was on the wall

Joe Hart said he was concerned for his City future when Pep Guardiola was appointed, with that premonition ultimately proving true.

Speaking to the Guardian , the former City goalkeeper says the manager immediately made it clear he’d need to depart, but it wasn’t just about ability, rather about Pep wanting to put his own imprint on the team.

“I certainly backed myself to the hilt when we spoke,” Hart said.

“I listened to what he had to say. There’s more to it than me not being as good with my feet as he wants from a goalkeeper. I realised he needed to make his stamp at City. He had a direction he wanted to go and he’s not exactly struggled since, has he?”

Hart further explained his determination to recapture a first-team place with a Premier League team, having since lost his place at Burnley and not played a top-flight league game since Boxing Day in 2018.

The three summer signings which would make sense for Pep’s project

So much is demanded of players under the guidance of Guardiola that it takes a special type of player to cope with the expectations. 

Not just on a technical level, but tactically and mentally, the players have to be able to learn and grow as individuals — while immediately impacting the team.

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That makes it difficult to pick players who would be an ideal fit for the side, but the MEN has identified three who would suit stylistically and, importantly, mentally.

Two youngsters are chosen: Ben White of Brighton, currently on loan at Leeds, and Houssam Aouar of Lyon, both of whom have already been linked with summer moves to Premier League clubs.

The third choice is a player with heavy links to the Etihad already, in Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar.

The full piece here lays out the reasons for each and presents statistical evidence as to why they’d be suited to being the next part of Pep’s project at Man City.