According to recent reports, Manchester City striker Pablo Moreno may be looking at a move to the Primeira Liga to get more game time.
The 19-year-old forward is currently one of Manchester City’s highest-rated prospects. However, it’s understood that the Spanish forward is not currently in Pep Guardiola’s first-team plans. Manchester City, who are current league champions, are entering the new season without a main striker after losing Aguero and seemingly missing out on their top transfer target Harry Kane.
In most cases, this might mean that Moreno would get some first-team minutes, but head coach Guardiola has been careful with giving youth players too much game time in the past. Prepare for the new season with some online gambling and read the bonus.ca review before you play.
Moreno spent all of the 2020/21 season at Girona in La Liga 2, where he scored two goals in 26 league games. For a player of his calibre, this return was perhaps slightly disappointing, and he’ll be hoping that he can get more game time and develop further this season. Although he didn’t set the league ablaze while at Girona, it’s understood that the club is still keen on him returning on loan.
However, Pablo Moreno appears to be interested in a move to Portugal’s Primeira Liga, where several clubs have been eyeing the progress of the young forward. It’s believed that Portuguese side Famalicão has already made contact with Manchester City about signing Moreno on a one-year loan deal.
At the moment, City has no plans to sell Moreno, who they purchased from Juventus in 2020 for €10 million. Moreno, who originally came from the Barcelona academy, was understandably excited to be potentially working with Pep Guardiola, but so far, he hasn’t received any minutes for the first team. It can take a while for players to break through at big clubs, so he needs to be patient, and a loan will help him to get regular game time while also adapting to new playing systems and environments.
Moreno still has four years left on his Manchester City contract and most likely won’t push for a permanent move yet, but with City currently in dire need of a strong centre forward, he definitely has a good chance of breaking into the team soon. Currently, he’s behind Gabriel Jesus in the pecking order when it comes to playing time. City clearly needs an experienced forward to bag goals if they want to defend their Premier League title and finally win the Champions League.
Moreno struggled at Girona last season, so it’s unclear whether he’ll want to return to the club on loan. A move to a new league and new location might do him good, and the Primeira Liga is an excellent place for youngsters to develop. Some of the best talent in the world has come out of the Primeira Liga in recent years, and for Moreno, it could be a perfect place to get game time with relatively little pressure.
If Moreno has big aspirations of achieving success at Manchester City, he should definitely be looking to go out on loan this season. Pep Guardiola has made it clear that youth aren’t prioritized in his current setup, and while young players do get chances, they often have to wait. Talented young players can learn a lot on loan, and the Primeira Liga is as good a place as any to get some experience.
This season, Famalicão will once again be playing at the top level of Portuguese football, having finished 9th in 2020/21. They ended up just six points off of European qualification places and will be hoping for a better result this season. A talented centre forward could be the missing piece in their squad.
