Nico González: Costly mistake and injury in a disastrous debut with City

Manchester City suffered more than expected against the humble Leyton Orient (English Third Division) to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup this Saturday (1-2) in what was Nico González's first official match. The former midfielder of FC Barcelona, recently arrived from Porto for 60 million euros, had a disastrous debut in London, playing only 21 minutes despite being a starter. 

In the 10th minute, a mistake in the build-up from the player from A Coruña allowed Jamie Donley to recover the ball and shoot on goal almost from the center circle. The powerful shot hit the crossbar and rebounded off the body of goalkeeper Ortega to give the locals the lead. Eleven minutes later, the 23-year-old player would leave injured after a strong tackle from winger Sonny Perkins. Initially, González could be suffering from a muscle injury that will keep him out for at least a couple of weeks.

Guardiola criticized English refereeing after Nico González's injury

In the post-match press conference, Pep Guardiola lamented the injury of the Spanish midfielder and criticized the refereeing in England. The Catalan ironically welcomed Nico to English football, expressing his annoyance at the permissiveness of aggressive play and the absence of VAR in the FA Cup. The player responsible for the Galician's injury was not even booked for the harsh tackle on the new Manchester recruit.

"I think Nico has perfectly understood what England is like, and it's a shame. I don't know how hard the hit was, but he couldn't continue", commented the man from Santpedor. Additionally, the manager claimed a clear penalty in the first half but valued the reaction of his players in the second half. Now, City will begin to prepare for the Champions League clash against Real Madrid, next Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium for the first leg of the 'play-off'.