Manchester City are gearing up for a return to Molineux this weekend, a ground that has not been kind to them in recent years, and it’s a venue where one of their players, Matheus Nunes, experienced a particularly tough moment last season.
Nunes, who forced a £52 million move to City from Wolverhampton by going on strike, was thrown into the starting lineup by Pep Guardiola for his second Premier League start, stepping in for the suspended Rodri. However, the match quickly unraveled. City fell behind to an early Ruben Dias own goal, and Nunes faced relentless hostility from the Wolves fans, making his return to his old club a miserable one. By halftime, Guardiola had replaced him with 20-year-old Oscar Bobb, potentially sparing Nunes from further torment, but the damage was done. Nunes didn’t start another league game for over two months.
Now, more than a year since that tough day, Nunes is still struggling to make a significant impact at City. He has shown flashes of promise, such as scoring against Watford in a cup game and hinting at his ability to play in a double-pivot midfield role. But those brief moments haven’t been enough to convince Guardiola that he deserves more regular first-team action. His performances at City have yet to reach the heights of his displays at Wolves.
If Nunes does feature at Molineux this weekend, he shouldn’t expect a warm reception from his former club’s fans. However, there’s no certainty he’ll even be selected. City’s packed schedule over December and January, which could include up to 18 matches if they progress in the domestic cups, means Guardiola will need contributions from every squad member. For Nunes, this is a crucial period to prove his worth.
So far, James McAtee has impressed more than Nunes, Bobb is recovering from injury, and highly rated talent Claudio Echeverri is set to join the squad in January. While Nunes should theoretically rank above them as a £52 million signing, it’s on him to prove that he deserves that spot.
Whether or not he plays against Wolves this weekend, Nunes must seize every opportunity to make his mark at City. After pushing so hard to leave Wolves, the 26-year-old needs to start living up to the expectations City had when they brought him in and become the player Guardiola still hopes he can be.
