Donnarumma in awe: Guardiola ‘even better than I expected’

Gianluigi Donnarumma says that working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City is ‘even better than I expected’ as he prepares to head back into Premier League action following his recent endeavours with the Italy national team over the October international break. 

Donnarumma has captained Italy to four consecutive World Cup qualifying victories under new head coach Gennaro Gattuso, including a 3-1 victory over Estonia on Saturday and a 3-0 win over Israel on Tuesday night. 

The 26-year-old, who left Paris Saint-Germain to join Manchester City during the summer transfer window, gave his assessment of the current state of affairs with the national team and in Serie A in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, published on Thursday. 

Donnarumma explained where he thinks the differences between Serie A and the Premier League lie. 

“I’ve been lucky enough to watch from two very different places: In Ligue 1 and the Premier League. Looking at it from afar, I can say that ‘our’ football is not lesser than the others’. 

“In England, they run from the first to the very last moment of the game. It’s not like that for us, but that doesn’t mean it’s better or worse, that’s just how it is,”

Donnarumma went on to talk about how life has been for him since joining Man City from PSG earlier this summer. He says that working under the great Guardiola has been ‘even better than I expected’. 

“I feel at home at City,” Donnarumma said, “even though it’s not been long since I moved there. They wanted me a lot, they made me feel important, and now, they already consider me one of their own.” 

“You feel enchanted when you listen to him. I thought it would be like that, but the reality is even better than I expected. I hope to stay in Manchester for as long as possible and have a truly unique experience.” 

And where do the differences between Donnarumma’s two current coaches, Guardiola and Gattuso, lie? 

“You feel Gattuso with you, it’s as if he’s behind you in every moment of the game. Our coach loves dialogue, he talks a lot, he explains everything to us. He gave us back a very strong collective identity almost immediately.”