Egyptian football legend Wael Gomaa, who won 117 caps and three Africa Cup of Nations titles for his country, has been singing the praises of Manchester City transfer target Ismael Bennacer.
Last week, Italian media outlet Sport Mediaset reported that the Premier League champions are preparing to approach AC Milan for the 22-year-old defensive midfielder, who has a release clause of €50m (£44.8m) at the San Siro.
Gomaa took to Twitter over the weekend (@WaelGomaa, via Manchester Evening News) to give his thoughts on the Algerian, saying: “Ismael Bennacer is one of the best players this season with Milan. His level develops from one match to another in addition to his distinguished role in the team.
“This one explains the interest of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in him; he also has a beautiful future ahead, God willing.”
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Gomaa’s high praise of Bennacer is quite justified. As per WhoScored, the 22-year-old has the third highest overall average match rating among AC Milan’s squad this season with 7.02, not far behind the 7.22 average posted by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who tops that particular list.
The Algerian excels in his role as a ball winner at the base of midfield, with match averages of 2.4 successful tackles and 1.7 interceptions. The former figure is superior to everyone at Manchester City, with Fernandinho and Rodri winning 1.9 and 1.5 tackles per game respectively (as per WhoScored). The Etihad Stadium duo make 1.8 interceptions per game between them, their combined figure barely eclipsing what Bennacer has managed on his own.
The AC Milan midfielder is more than just a break-up merchant, too. He has posted a tremendous match average of three successful dribbles, 66.7% more than the highest performer in Pep Guardiola’s squad for this metric, Raheem Sterling with 1.8.
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Bennacer certainly seems like he would be a fantastic acquisition for Manchester City and Gomaa’s huge faith in him seems well placed.
Man City fans, how big a difference could Bennacer make to the team if he were to join from AC Milan? Share your views in the comments section below!
