Pundits Micah Richards and Jamie Redknapp waxed lyrical about Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo following Saturday's 4-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
A brace from Phil Foden and goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez sealed a third successive victory for Pep Guardiola's side, ensuring they remained hot on the heels of current table-toppers Chelsea, who hammered Norwich City 7-0 earlier in the day.
Although Foden grabbed the headlines after his brace, Cancelo - who returned to the left-back berth against the Seagulls after playing at right-back against Burnley last weekend - was the man that attracted no shortage of praise following the full-time whistle from former City defender Richards and his Sky Sports colleague, Redknapp.
The Portuguese international has been one of City's unsung heroes so far this season, producing excellent performance and after excellent performance, both defensively and offensively.
Now, Richards has hailed the qualities that Cancelo, who scored in the 5-1 win over Club Brugge in the Champions League in midweek, brings to this City side.
Richards told Sky Sports : "Passes into the final third is so key. He’s second in interceptions. It’s difficult for him because Kyle Walker has took that number one right-back spot.
"But, he played on the left and played just as well. He’s gone into the midfield and done so well. He can get on the half-turn and play them balls. He’s great to watch and has been great for Manchester City."
Redknapp has recently been that impressed by Cancelo, who picked up his second booking of the season in the Premier League against Brighton, that he insisted he is running out of superlatives to describe him.
Redknapp added: It’s difficult to add any more superlatives. He’s brilliant."
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