DANILO VOWS TO BE REAL DEAL IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BID
KEVIN DE BRUYNE has set the world alight with his explosive start to the season at Manchester City.
Raheem Sterling has been knocking goals in for fun and Gabriel Jesus has settled into life at The Etihad with net-busting ease too.
But while City fans have loved watching their superstar contingent, one player has slipped under the radar during all the Premier League and Champions League fun. Defender Danilo, 26, arrived in the summer for £26.5million with all the pedigree demanded by boss Pep Guardiola.
The credentials were jaw-dropping. Educated football-wise in his native Brazil. Learned his skills with Santos before spells at Porto and Real Madrid where he won two Champions League trophies.
Oh, and 15 appearances for Brazil have added to his impressive CV.
But at City, he has only briefly emerged from the shadows after spending much of his time warming the bench.
Danilo, though, understands the difficulty of making a breakthrough in a squad overloaded with talent and is promising to make an impact when he does gain a regular starting place.
He said: “It’s normal that I have to show a bit of patience and wait for my chance as City have a great squad. But the season is really long and I know I will be needed at some point.
“I’m training hard and getting myself ready for when the time comes. The first few weeks in
England have gone well and I’m happy. I have been trying to adapt as fast as I can to the style of play so that I can perform as best I can when I get my chance.
“But I’m learning all the time from Pep and the rest of the squad and that is really helping me. There’s so much quality here and so many great players.”
Danilo has significant Champions League experience and is looking forward to playing a role as City progress in the elite competition. The away game against Napoli in 10 days will demand another top-level performance from Guardiola’s warriors after last Tuesday’s 2-1 home victory made it three wins out of three in Group F.
But Danilo insisted City will go to Italy in confident mood and looking to beat the Serie A leaders in their own backyard.
The right-back added: “We’re really happy with how we have started in the Champions League. It’s so important to get as many points on the board as quickly as possible.
“That’s what we have done and played well too. But we know for sure that the return game in Naples is going to be really hard.
“They are a great team and they are playing some of the best football in Europe right now. We have so much respect them for.
“Our mind has been focused on the Premier League since the first game but we will be going there looking to win.”