A Manchester City midfielder has seized his opportunity over the past week

There are times when all a player needs to make an impact is an opportunity. Matheus Nunes has had to wait for injuries to hit the Manchester City squad to be given a proper opportunity to shine. Over the past week, he has finally gotten his opportunity to impress. Nunes has done just that and more over the past week. Going forward Manchester City could be better placed as a squad with Matheus Nunes having shown he can be a key contributor.

Injuries to Kevin De Bruyne, Oscar Bobb, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku have allowed Matheus Nunes the opportunity to start City’s past two games. It isn’t a stretch to say that if those injuries hadn’t occurred Nunes likely wouldn’t have had the game time he has had in the past week. But it’s one thing to have the opportunity to play, it’s another to seize it. Matheus Nunes has done just that.

The cameo from Nunes against Wolves at Molineux set the tone for the week. He made a vital contribution to help set up the string of late corners that saw John Stones score a late winner. Against Sparta Prague Matheus Nunes put in a man-of-the-match display during City’s 5-nil win. He followed that up by setting up Erling Haaland’s winning goal at the Etihad on Saturday. Matheus Nunes has 6 goal involvements this season and 5 in his past four starts. But more importantly, he passes the eye test and looks like he now belongs as a Manchester City player.

Pep Guardiola believes Nunes is thriving as he gets the opportunity to play.

Speaking after Manchester City’s win over Southampton Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the recent performances of Matheus Nunes. The Manchester City manager believes that Nunes actually getting minutes on the pitch has allowed him to shine. Guardiola told the media: “The minutes he didn’t get in the past, that’s the difference. One goal and three assists in two games, and he went backwards helping Kova and Bernardo in their positions because he has incredible pace to help with those transitions. In the Etihad box, the space is minimal and they found the right way to do it.”

Matheus Nunes has had to wait for an opportunity to impress at Manchester City. He had shown flashes of brilliance up until a week ago during his time at the club. But after his impressive week, he now looks like he belongs as a Manchester City player. That is a huge positive for City. The other positive for the world champions is that when everyone returns from injury Nunes is well-placed to maintain his standing in the City squad. Pep Guardiola now has another weapon at his disposal. Given the amount of football City could play this season that is another positive from the strong form of Matheus Nunes.