Pep Guardiola picked out goalkeeper Andre Onana when asked to name Inter Milan's most dangerous player ahead of the Champions League final.
The Manchester City boss heaped praise on Inter's style of play as his side prepare to face the Italian giants on Saturday evening in search of completing a historic treble. Onana, 27, has enjoyed a superb first campaign at the San Siro after joining from Dutch heavyweights Ajax last summer and has subsequently been linked with a big-money transfer move to Chelsea.
In typical Guardiola fashion, he broke down Inter's way of playing during his pre-match press conference and also noted how centre-back Alessandro Bastoni is crucial to Simeone Inzaghi's team. "For the way they play, with the high press, Onana is an exceptional goalkeeper to take the position to build-up. Really, really good," the City manager hailed ahead of the match in Istanbul.
"All the processes they do… with Bastoni on the left side especially, is exceptional. The quality to link with the strikers, the ability for an extra pass. We have to try to defend, I don't know how, but defend these connections. With the ball, try to attack. Difficult against five at the back, we have to try to find a solution to be more effective to find a solution."
Although Inter finished third in Serie A, with Inzaghi's future often coming into question throughout the course of the season, their run to this year's Champions League final has been impressive. After advancing from a group which included Bayern Munich and Barcelona, the Nerazzurri beat Porto, Benfica and arch rivals AC Milan to put themselves on the verge of glory.
Onana has been integral to their success in Europe after having big shoes to fill when he replaced Samir Handanovic between the posts. Although the Slovenian veteran remains at the club as captain, Onana's impact has restricted him to just 16 appearances this term.
It's not only those at the San Siro who rate the Cameroonian highly, as newly-appointed Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is reported to be a big fan. The Blues would be willing to offload current shot-stopper Edouard Mendy as part of a player-plus-cash deal in order to entice Onana to Stamford Bridge.
Inter's financial problems mean that they could be forced to sell their first-choice goalkeeper this summer and the two clubs already have a good relationship after completing numerous deals in recent years. Onana's agent, Albert Botines, addressed claims about his client's future last month, insisting that he remains fully focussed on maintaining his performances.
Have your say! Who'll win the Champions League final - Man City or Inter? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
"Transfer rumours are normal at this stage, but I prefer not to talk about it because it’s very early and now the boy he is focussed only on the field," Botines is quoted as saying by Tuttomercatoweb.
"We have a five-year contract with Inter, he has another four years on his contract and now he's focused only the Champions League final. He still has a long contract, he's calm. He is very happy, he plays in the strongest team in Italy."
Inter haven't won the Champions League since it was part of their own treble triumph under Jose Mourinho in 2010. If Onana performs like he has been doing all season, the Nerazzurri could well surprise favourites City and become kings of Europe once again.
