CITY would welcome back Joao Cancelo with open arms should he return in the summer, according to former defender Joleon Lescott.
However, with Cancelo making the surprise deadline-day move to Bayern Munich, Lescott explained how the Blues have two perfect replacements in Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis.
Speaking from Ghana, where Lescott helped Xylem and City's global foundation build a water tower in a rural village, the pundit explained how the Blues will manage just fine without Cancelo for the rest of the season.
"I don't think anyone was expecting Cancelo to leave outside of the team," Lescott told M.E.N. Sport.
"But I've been in football long enough to know there's no surprises.
"I've moved on deadline day myself where it's not been in the water. He's a great servant for the club, hopefully it's a loan and doesn't mean he's gone forever, because he’s been a great player. “In regards to this season, though, Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis have played a massive part in the fullback areas, so he’s probably seen that as an opportunity to get more game time.
“If he does come back, I’m positive everyone will welcome him with open arms because he’s been such a good servant.”
As a player, Lescott played the majority of his career at centre-back, but was used at leftback on occasion as Ake will be asked to do in the coming months. To swap positions, Lescott believes Ake possesses the right mentality to excel as City’s new first-choice left-back.
“His performance against [Bukayo] Saka last week, not just his goal but the way he defended against him, was outstanding,” Lescott explained.
This story is from the February 05, 2023 edition of MEN on Sunday.
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This story is from the February 05, 2023 edition of MEN on Sunday.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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