The praise Pep Guardiola has heaped on his Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho in recent weeks has been quite something – even by the Catalonian’s standards.
Not since Philip Lahm at Bayern have we heard such praise for a player -so much so that Fernandinho was rewarded with a new contract even at the age of 33.
But the praise is there for a reason and it isn’t just to make the unassuming, humble midfielder feel good about himself.
It is to make the point that Fernandinho is vital to City’s success and should he fall foul of an injury then City will suffer.
It should come as no surprise then that Pep has turned to the conveyor belt that is Shakhtar Donestsk (the very club City signed Fernandinho from) for his long-term successor.
For years the Ukrainian club’s modus operandi has been to sign some of the best young Brazilians, develop them and then put them in the shop window.
At first it brought mockery from the rest of Europe as a narrow-minded short term vision – they mock no longer
For the list of stars grows ever longer with Willian, Douglas Costa, Alex Teixeira and of course Fernandinho just a few of the players to have shone since leaving the moles (a nickname in reference to the coal mining industry that thrives in that part of the Ukraine).
Shakhtar surprised many when they finished second to Manchester City in their Champions League group ahead of Napoli, becoming the first team to beat Pep Guardiola’s men this season.
A key part of that success has been the emergence of 24-year-old midfielder Fred.
Signed from International for €15M in 2013 where he was already twice a Campeonato Gaucho champion the classy left-pegger has been a regular in the Shakhtar side ever since, helping them to two league titles, two domestic cups and three Super Cups.
But his career has not been without controversy. He served a suspension after testing positive for the banned diuretic Hydrochlorothiazide, following a sample he provided during the 2015 Copa América.
Despite been banned for one year by the South American federation Conmebol (with the punishment only relating to games on the continent) FIFA imposed a further worldwide suspension that prevented him from playing in the second half of last season.
But that has not deterred his suitors with many clubs keen on the versatile midfielder and Guardiola may want to get in before the rest to secure the signing.
Fred has been impressive in the Champions League this term and it is felt he will adapt well to Guardiola’s philosophy.
A gifted passer on either foot, he is also a powerful runner with the ball and with a low centre of gravity he certainly fits the mould of a typical Guardiola midfielder.
Rumours are rife that Guardiola wants Fred in sooner rather than later and that the expected summer signing may arrive at The Etihad in the coming week instead for a fee of around £40M.
