Erling Haaland and Josko Gvardiol react excitedly to Ait-Nouri’s Man City message
Pep Guardiola saw several players kick-start their Manchester City careers against Al Ain and Rayan Ait-Nouri was no different.
Man City began their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a comfortable if not clinical 2-0 victory over Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca on 18 June, with first-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku.
Pep Guardiola‘s side truly kicked into gear four days later though, with a convincing 6-0 win over Emirati side Al Ain in Atlanta in a performance which saw several of City’s new arrivals flourish for the first time.
Ilkay Gundogan‘s brace came either side of Claudio Echeverri’s first goal in City colours and an Erling Haaland penalty, before Oscar Bobb and new signing Rayan Cherki both scored in the final 10 minutes.
Man City single out Ait-Nouri after Al Ain performance
Both Cherki and Echeverri marked their full debuts with a goal in City’s resounding victory on Sunday, and the latter made his first start for Guardiola’s side after his first appearance in the FA Cup Final.
However, Ait-Nouri’s bow in blue came from the off against Al Ain after his £31.8million move from Wolves was confirmed on 8 June, and the left-back saw out the full 90 minutes of City’s six-goal victory.
The Algerian showed no signs of rustiness whatsoever and slotted seamlessly into a makeshift City defence after Rico Lewis’ red card in their opener, and the club congratulated him on his first match.
In an Instagam post (23 June) liked by both Haaland and Ait-Nouri’s fellow defender Josko Gvardiol, City’s message read: “What a debut for Rayan Ait Nouri”.
Ait-Nouri nails down immediate Man City starting spot
Football Insider Verdict
Injuries and an aging squad were seen as the greatest contributors to Man City’s first trophyless season since 2016–17 last term, and it was no shock to see Guardiola spend £115m before the Club World Cup.
The Spaniard was forced to play makeshift left-backs throughout almost the entirety of last season, with Gvardiol struggling outside his usual comfort zone and Nico O’Reilly eventually called in to plug the gap.
O’Reilly impressed at left-back towards the back end of the season and does provide Guardiola with a versatile option, but Ait-Nouri’s superb debut suggests he’ll slot straight into the starting XI when City open their Premier League campaign at Molineux.