Heading into this week’s Champions League showdown with French champions Paris Saint-Germain, Joao Cancelo might be sitting reflecting on what has gone wrong for him over recent seasons.
It is only 18 months since the Portuguese was named in the PFA Team of the Season following a stunning season for Manchester City. After scoring three goals and notching ten assists from right-back in all competitions that season, the former Juventus man was rightly considered among the best defenders in world football.
Since then, he has fallen out of contention at the Etihad Stadium - rumours of a bust-up with Pep Guardiola rearing their head - and has been jettisoned on-loan to Bayern Munich. Speaking at the time, the Portuguese defender said: "It's a lie that I had a fight with Guardiola, a complete lie. I didn't feel important to the team in recent games.
“I spoke to the coach and he agreed. I, the coach and the club decided that I had to leave, that it was the best option for me. I like new opportunities and I have nothing against City."
Whilst Cancelo’s reason for an exit was admirable - the Portuguese potentially set to add yet another domestic title to his collection - it has not gone the way that he will have expected at the Allianz Arena. It all started so well too with the right-back providing assists in each of his first two competitive appearances for the Bavarian giants.
His teammates also waxed lyrical about his abilities. Bayern stalwart Joshua Kimmich was among those to have hailed Cancelo after his debut.
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He said: "He has enormous quality. I think we're going to have a lot of fun with him."
Since then though, the on-loan Man City star’s game time under current boss Julian Nagelsmann continues to decrease. Cancelo was afforded just 12 minutes in a 3-0 success over title rivals Union Berlin at the end of February, whilst he was left on the bench at the weekend as Bayern squeezed past Stuttgart at the weekend.
Boss Nagelsmann has suggested that the formation that he selected simply did not suit the Portuguese. Speaking at the weekend, he said: “He’s [Cancelo] handling the situation well.
“I don’t have any impression that he’s breaking off. [Josip] Stanišić is a bit more defensive and João has never played right center-back in a back 3.”
Whilst valid, that is unlikely to be a reason that will pacify Cancelo after what has been a hugely puzzling season thus far. As per reports in Germany, the 28-year-old is “frustrated” at the situation he finds himself in at the Allianz Arena just two months after putting pen to paper on his loan switch.
Things could well be set to get even worse ahead of Bayern’s Champions League decider against PSG. The German side welcome the French champions to Bavaria in midweek with a 1-0 advantage to defend - former PSG star Kingsley Coman scoring the winner in the first-leg in Paris.
It is suggested that Cancelo, a recent inclusion in the FIFPRO World XI, will once again be left on the bench for the second leg on Wednesday evening as his situation mimics that of the one he found himself in with Man City. The German giants retain an option to make the Portuguese's move to Germany permanent for £61m but it appears highly unlikely that they will activate that any time soon.
That leaves Cancelo in an even more uncomfortable situation should he return to the Etihad Stadium next year. Summer signing Manuel Akanji is currently Guardiola’s outright pick at left-back, whilst youngster’s Sergio Gomez and Rico Lewis are more than capable deputies.
That is not to mention Kyle Walker who remains City’s best right-back. Even Guardiola has admitted that he is not sure over what Cancelo’s future holds.
Speaking last month, he said: 'Next season I don't know what happens. [Cancelo was] An incredible figure in the last two leagues we won.
"After the World Cup, we make a pre-season and decided to play, in some patterns different. I like what I watch. I give more time to other players. His personality, mine, he loves to play. He trains the best, the situation he doesn't play much. In the last years one of the players with more minutes. He needs to play to be happy, we decide to let him go to Munich.”
With both of his parent and loan club left unconvinced over Cancelo, he will certainly be racking his brain over what exactly has gone wrong.
