Gvardiol signals return to form at left-back for Manchester City
Josko Gvardiol has signalled a return to his best at left-back for Manchester City in the early weeks of the new campaign, according to a report published on 19 September 2026. The 24-year-old has re-emerged after a season disrupted by a serious injury and is a regular in Enzo Maresca’s starting XI.
City lost the Community Shield 3-0 to Arsenal in August but have since strung together six successive wins in all competitions, and their defence has conceded just twice in four Premier League matches. With Ruben Dias and Marc Guehi forming a central partnership, Maresca has used Gvardiol at left-back and described Sunday’s home game against Sunderland (14:00 BST) as their "toughest" so far this season "because of how good they are".
Gvardiol missed five months last season after suffering a broken leg, a spell that allowed Nico O'Reilly to continue at left-back; the 21-year-old has been told by Maresca he will receive more opportunities in his preferred midfield role. Sources close to Gvardiol have described him as being like a "soldier", willing to accept any position, and say he is "satisfied" with Maresca’s decision to deploy him on the flank. The defender told reporters in the summer it would take "at least a year before everything heals inside", but he is understood to be pain free and back to 100% match fitness.
City signed Gvardiol from RB Leipzig in 2023 for a £77m fee, making him the second most expensive defender of all time behind Harry Maguire. Sources say Gvardiol considers left-back more physically demanding than centre-back but enjoys the freedom to push forward and has prospered with his attacking runs. He committed his future to Manchester City by signing a new five-year contract during the summer, despite reported interest from Bayern Munich and Barcelona, saying he was "happy" to extend his stay and that under Maresca "everyone has to fight for their position, no-one is secure".
On the pitch this season Gvardiol scored an injury-time winner in the season opener against Bournemouth and has provided two assists, one of which was Erling Haaland’s controversial strike that sealed City’s derby win at Manchester United. At Old Trafford last Sunday he helped City to an unlikely victory with a defiant clean sheet after the side were reduced to 10 men following Phil Foden's 23rd-minute red card; he contained Bryan Mbeumo for large periods, winning nine of his 11 duels — no player on the pitch managed more — and contested four tackles, a match-high for City.
Across the Premier League campaign so far Gvardiol has won the seventh most duels and ranks in the top 10 for tackles made. His presence at left-back has pushed Algeria international Rayan Ait-Nouri, signed last summer from Wolves, out of his natural position and into more advanced roles. Gvardiol had a difficult game in Porto in the Champions League, receiving a booking in the first half and being taken off early in the second, a performance described in the report as an off-day rather than a sign of a larger issue.
A City victory over Sunderland would keep their winning run intact and send Gvardiol into international duty with Croatia in good form; Croatia face England and Spain in the Uefa Nations League, following World Cup disappointment in the summer when his country went out at the last-32 stage.
