PREMIER LEAGUE
Who is new Manchester City star Máximo Perrone?
City boss Pep Guardiola has been full of praise for the young Argentinian midfielder, who has featured in the last two matches.
Argentinian midfielder Máximo Perrone arrived at Manchester City from Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield in the winter transfer window and is already being showered with praise. Just a few weeks with the Premier League champions has been long enough for head coach Pep Guardiola to talk about his love for the 20-year-old, who has wasted little time in showing his quality.
Why kind of player is Perrone?
“He is a player who is faster with his head than with his legs. I think he’ll grow being with us from the rhythm, from the physicality. Sometimes we’re looking for players to play in the position in the smaller spaces. He’s good, really really good”, said Guardiola after his team’s 3-0 FA Cup victory over Bristol City.
The former Barcelona player only sent on Perrone for the final three minutes of the tie, with the Argentine having made his debut for the club three days earlier in the 4-1 Premier League win against Bournemouth. The midfielder replaced Erling Haaland in the 72nd minute, by which point City were already 4-0 up.
Guardiola “didn’t know who Perrone was”
Guardiola also explained how Perrone’s move to City came about. “He arrived from our scout in South America, Joan Patsy in South America. He already advised me on Gabriel (Jesus), Julian (Álvarez), and now Máximo. I had some clips and information, but honestly, I didn’t know him and the players didn’t know him. We thought ‘wow he moves well’, his individual quality is really there.
Máximo Perrone: a long way in a short time
Left-footed midfielder Perrone only made his debut for Vélez less than a year ago, in mid-March of 2022 to be precise. He played a total of 33 matches for his hometown club before signing a five-and-a-half-year contract with Manchester City in January, when he headed off to play in the South American Under-20 Championships. Perrone scored in his country’s opening game against Paraguay but was unable to help them out of the group stages as they suffered three defeats in four matches.