Pep Guardiola has got just what he wants from improving Man City star

Pep Guardiola credited Josko Gvardiol with learning what Manchester City need from him after another promising performance.

Gvardiol arrived last season with a hefty £77.5m price tag but an impressive reputation already as one of the best young centre-backs in the world after his performances for RB Leipzig and Croatia. The 22-year-old has featured a lot for City but almost all of his football has come at left-back rather than in the middle.

City are yet to see the best of him, but he has stepped up against top sides Arsenal and Aston Villa in a defence that has been ravaged by injuries. Guardiola sees definite improvement in the young defender, who is now using the ball much more effectively than he was earlier in the campaign.

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"I think it's not easy for him changing a league and he improved against [Bukayo] Saka and today against [Moussa] Diaby and [Leon] Bailey. It's not easy to win the duels but especially with the ball he was so, so composed and safe. In the past he had a tendency to take a lot of risks with the ball and lose a lot of balls and now he's more simple as a player.

"It has to be like that. A defender has to be simple. He has got be a good defender and be simple.

"I don't ask Josko Gvardiol to score a hat-trick like Phil Foden. He doesn't have to do that. He has another job and has to do what he has to do. The last two games were really, really good. We need him in the absence of Nathan."