Friday, May 18th, 2012
Very few players turn down both Barcelona and Real Madrid without living to regret it, but Manchester City’s latest import is aiming to make an impression away from his homeland. Spaniard Denis Suárez has been dubbed as a star of the future, and he is intent on living up to the tag that hangs around his neck.
In just three months at the club, the 17-year-old from Vigo has travelled on the club’s pre-season tour to America and made his first-team debut in a Carling Cup tie against Wolves. The youngster feels he is ready to make the step up, and become a permanent fixture in Roberto Mancini’s plans. It is now up to him to prove his ability to the Italian that he has what it takes to make him into a player who can be influential in the Premier League.
Suárez’s profile rose in Spain thanks to the interest from the country’s big two clubs, along with some impressive performances for the national under-17s team, which first attracted City to his talents. The Arab-owned club invited him to Manchester to look around their facilities and enjoy a game, in order to entice him to sign with them. The effort was not in vain, as Suarez speaks favourably about the club’s unrelenting approach, which convinced him to join them.
It came down to a straight decision between Barcelona and City, but Suárez thought the move abroad would be more beneficial for him. A superior financial offer from the FA Cup winners may have swayed his decision slightly, but he is adamant that he made the right choice.
Suárez stated: “I chose City because they were the team that showed the most interest in me. I had to choose between City and Barcelona, and I decided to come to City as I thought they would be the better club for me.” His style would have suited Barcelona’s football philosophy, with his ability on the ball, even though his desire to pass has left a lot to be desired at times. In England he has been deployed behind a central striker, with him occasionally coming deep to retrieve the ball due to a lack of quality in City’s midfield.
His on-field persona is unsurprising considering the men he counts as his footballing idols, “When I was young, I loved Kaká in his early years at Milan, and I am also a huge fan of Andrés Iniesta” said a smiling Suárez. Another player he admires is David Silva who is always available to offer advice on the Galician’s game, and he has also had the youngster and his family round for dinner on a number of occasions. The manager also realises the influence Silva could have on the Suárez, “In training Mancini usually speaks to me about a few things, and tells me to watch how Silva plays from sidelines.”
When Suárez arrived in the UK he brought his parents, sister, and girlfriend too, which has aided his ability to settle in to his new surroundings. Away from the pitch, he spends a lot his time with his family, and his best mate at the City, Joan Ángel Román, who is aiding him to adjust to life at one of the world’s biggest clubs.
Most of Suárez’s appearances in a blue shirt have come in the NextGen Series, which has seen City lose five in five, but the Spaniard is quick to defend his team-mates, “I think we dominated the first 20 minutes of the game in Barcelona, but then we lost a goal, and I think they had a few older players,” adding, “in the games against Celtic we found out how physical a side can be, we may have lost, but we have never given up against anyone, and that is important.”
The now world class Silva spent a season on loan at Celta Vigo, but Suárez can’t see himself moving out on loan to aid in his development in the near future, “At the moment I am not thinking about going out on loan. I am happy here, but if Mancini thinks sending me out on loan would be a good thing, then I will consider it,” said a confident Suárez.
One contributing factor in Suárez’s move to England may have been the lack of competitiveness in La Liga at the moment with Barcelona and Real Madrid dominating the league against poor frequently poor opposition, “It’s a lot more competitive here, I think the teams are far more competitive than in Spain. It’s a lot more difficult for big teams to win matches here, for example, it was tough for City to overcome Queens Park Rangers last week,” adding, “I prefer it that way, I would never want to win easily,” Suarez stated calmly.
Despite leaving the greenery of Galicia for Manchester, Suárez has not forgotten his roots, and thinks his former club are on the up once more, “I think Celta have a far better team this year than they did last season, so they have a good chance of promotion. I think we have a very good chance of winning the derby at the weekend, and I will be watching.”
Suárez is the sort of player who coaches feel guilty about trying to hold back their natural flair-based game. It is unknown whether he will eventually make the grade at City, but watching his early performances he has a great chance of emulating the likes of Silva and Iniesta, turning himself into one of the world’s biggest stars.
This interview was conducted by Will Unwin, who can be followed on Twitter here.
We’d like to extend our thanks to Manchester City for all their cooperation. Our interview with Suárez’s teammate Joan Ángel Román can be found here.
Tags: Barcelona, Celta Vigo, David Silva, Denis Suarez, Manchester City
