Micah Richards has claimed he is already a big fan of Mateo Kovacic since he left Chelsea for Manchester City this summer.
He told ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast that he has performed well since joining, although struggled at the weekend in defeat to Wolves.
Kovacic refused to commit his future to Chelsea towards the end of last season, as Chelsea were planning somewhat of a midfield rebuild this summer.
With Jorginho already out the door the window before, the duo were joined by N’golo Kante as previously crucial midfielders who have since been moved on.
Manchester City made the move to sign Kovacic this summer, with many expecting the Croatian international to have a real strong time of things under Pep Guardiola.
Richards praises Kovacic
Richards believes he has impressed greatly since moving to the Etihad, although his skills were not suited to the situation the Champions found themselves in at the weekend,
He said: “Rodri – him missing – it’s more that he controls the tempo of the game. I’m not saying if he was there they would have won, but it went too easy from back to front with no real protection in there.
Kovacic I really love – I think he’s done well since he came to Manchester City – but he was more of a dribbler in that game, and he kept getting caught on the ball when they needed that little bit of calm in midfield.”
Meanwhile at Stamford Bridge, Mauricio Pochettino will be hopeful that Moises Caicedo is fully fit and ready to go alongside Enzo Fernandez in the middle of the park.
He will also be waiting on the return from injury for Romeo Lavia, who is yet to play for the Blues since joining this summer.
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