Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez has accepted one of the heavier shirts in Manchester City history, taking Kevin De Bruyne\u2019s No. 17 as he settles into a new chapter at the Etihad Stadium.<\/p>\n
Fern\u00e1ndez did not need to search far for a squad number, with several options available after a summer of major change. City\u2019s midfield has been rebuilt, and the Argentina international, a World Cup winner, is part of that new-look unit. Even so, he chose not to opt for a simpler alternative such as No. 4, No. 7, or Rodri\u2019s vacant No. 16. Instead, he has taken on the responsibility of wearing the number made famous by the club\u2019s defining modern player.<\/p>\n
When De Bruyne inherited No. 17 in 2015, there was no certainty about what would follow. He arrived after impressing at Wolfsburg, but in England the memory of his spell at Chelsea still lingered. That doubt did not last long. By the end of his first season, he had delivered 16 goals and 12 assists, a return that helped transform perception around him.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously it is very satisfying. I come here today with a very different view than people had of me last year. It shows that a lot can happen in one year,\u201d De Bruyne beamed toward the end of a maiden season which would produce 16 goals and 12 assists. \u201cEverybody had a view of how I came out of Chelsea so, yeah, it gives me satisfaction that people have changed their minds.\u201d<\/p>\n
His reputation grew still further under Pep Guardiola, with the pair winning six Premier League titles in nine years together, along with at least one of every other major trophy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first meeting I ever had with Pep,\u201d De Bruyne recalled, \u201che sat me down and he said, \u2018Kevin, listen. You can be\u2014easily\u2014a top five player in the world. Top five. Easily.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether Enzo Maresca will demand the same level from Fern\u00e1ndez remains to be seen, but there is clear mutual respect between the two. Fern\u00e1ndez, speaking about the challenge of life in Manchester and his manager, said: \u201cPlayers live where they want,\u201d he explained. \u201cI\u2019d live in Madrid. I get by in English, but I\u2019d be more comfortable in Spanish.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a top manager, honestly,\u201d City\u2019s record arrival said. \u201cI had him at my previous club. They were incredible moments. I learned so much with him. He\u2019s very similar to Latin people, very passionate. So, for me, it\u2019s a pleasure to work with him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fern\u00e1ndez has taken De Bruyne\u2019s No. 17 at City, adding pressure to a major move.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[238],"tags":[59,180,182],"class_list":["post-18980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manchester-city","tag-featured","tag-player-news","tag-transfers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}