As Manchester City cruised past Burnley by beating them 3-1 once again this season, Matheus Nunes put in a statement performance.
So far this campaign, rotation and injuries have meant the Portuguese international has just started six Premier League games this season.
With that in mind, Matheus Nunes has been unable to set the world on fire during his debut campaign at the Etihad Stadium.
Matheus Nunes put in his best-ever performance for Manchester City in 3-1 win against Burnley
However, against Burnley, Nunes seemed like he was determined to prove why Manchester City forked out a £53 million (BBC Sport) fee to sign him in the summer.
While the former Wolves midfielder has exhibited several of the traits he did against Vincent Kompany’s side in various other games for City this season, it seemed like it all came together for him in his best-ever performance for the club, in our view.
For starters, Burnley found it impossible to contend with Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes’ ability to drive forward with the ball.
As the 25-year-old received the ball from deeper areas, Vincent Kompany had clearly instructed his players to do everything in their power to regain possession in the hosts’ half.
But instead of simply playing around the opposition’s press through a sequence of quick passing or keeping things ticking in possession like controllers like Bernardo Silva or Mateo Kovacic tend to do, the former Wolves technician utilised his elite ball-carrying ability to escape such tense situations.
In terms of carrying the ball, Matheus Nunes showcased against Burnley that he is up there with not just Manchester City teammate Kevin De Bruyne but other world-class midfielders like Jamal Musiala and Frenkie de Jong, in our view.
Due to Nunes’ ability to receive the ball excellently on the half-turn and utilise his pace to leave a presser for dead, it led to the Sky Blues being in multiple situations where they were on the counter-attack out of seemingly nowhere.
With the likes of other explosive players like Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden also on the pitch, it is no surprise why City wreaked havoc.
One area where Matheus Nunes looked superior to Manchester City teammate Mateo Kovacic against Burnley was his ability to cover ground, which could make him the ideal partner for Rodri as well. While Kovacic is no slouch defensively, he lacks the athleticism Nunes does to get around the pitch and halt counter-attacks, as he showcased against Kompany and Co.
Often, the latter outpaced and outmuscled a Burnley attacker, which is the side of the game the Croatian has yet to have mastered in his career.
Matheus Nunes also seems to have formed a potentially lethal understanding with Jeremy Doku, as was evident on the left-hand side for Manchester City in their latest triumph against Burnley.
Every time Doku held the width, Nunes was aware of running into the vacant half-space and making himself available.
On the other hand, when the Belgian decided to drift inside, the Burnley defenders were in sixes and sevens as the latter would dart into a left-wing position.
Matheus Nunes could well have cemented his place against Brentford after putting in an all-encompassing display on Wednesday.
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