Joao Cancelo made an encouraging start to his loan spell at Bayern Munich and his debut prompted a message of support from Bruno Fernandes.
Manchester City full-back Cancelo has joined Bayern Munich on loan until the end of the season after falling out with Pep Guardiola. Bayern have an option to make that move permanent for £61.5million in the summer, meaning Cancelo might have played his final game for City.
The move, which was confirmed on deadline day of the January transfer window, came as a surprise, given the Portugal international’s status at City. Those thoughts have faded now that Cancelo has played his first game in a Bayern shirt.
Cancelo made an immediate impact at his new club, starting in their 4-0 win over Mainz in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday. The 28-year-old provided the assist for Eric Maxim Chupo-Moting’s opening goal, swinging over a pinpoint cross to the back post in the 17th minute.
Writing on Instagram after the result, Cancelo said: “QuarterFinals here we come. Happy with my debut”. Now Cancelo plays for Bayern, any thoughts of rivalry with Manchester United have gone out of the window, meaning Fernandes can enjoy his success.
Replying to Cancelo’s Instagram post, the United attacking midfielder wrote: “Jaaaaaa assim?”, which roughly translates as “You’re already doing this?”
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Unsurprisingly, Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann was delighted with Cancelo’s performance, which came just a day after he officially joined the club. "Joao played very well today. He was very creative, you saw the first pass he made, how he used the outside of the foot," Nagelsmann said.
"There were two very good crosses to Thomas Muller. He made a lot of runs from deep. I think he tried to sprint 15 times into space. He's done very well.
"I didn't really have any worries about playing him. He's been with one of best managers in the world and he played 160 games under him in the Premier League. He's been very successful, he has a big heart and a lot of passion on the pitch. That's why I told him this morning that he was going to play and not to worry. He's done very well."
Cancelo’s impact at Bayern is not surprising, given he had an outstanding record with City following his £60m move from Juventus in 2019. He made 154 appearances, scoring nine goals and making 22 assists, from full-back.
The Portugal international was used right-back by Nagelsmann on Wednesday – and, although he is capable of playing at left-back, that looks likely to be his regular position in Bavaria. Benjamin Pavard has now shifted over to centre-back, while Noussair Mazrouai is currently out injured.
Cancelo will hope to build on his debut when Bayern make the trip to Wolfsburg on Sunday. Bayern are one point clear at the top of the Bundesliga table, but have Union Berlin, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund breathing down their neck following a run of three successive draws.
