Sergio Gomez has not played much since joining Manchester City this summer, but he has revealed a quality of his that could help him find more first team minutes in the months and years ahead.
Gomez was something of a surprise arrival at City; the Blues had not long given up their hopes of signing Marc Cucurella from Brighton when they unexpectedly tied up a £11m deal to sign the Spaniard from Belgian side Anderlecht.
City and Pep Guardiola made clear upon Gomez's arrival that while he wouldn't be leaving the club on loan, he would be a player for the future rather than an immediate starter. At 22 he has great potential, but the step up from the Belgian league is a big one and he has plenty of developing still to do.
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Since then the left-back has made one start for City — the 4-0 Champions League win at Sevilla — and three substitute appearances, although all of those came when City were at least two goals ahead of their opponents.
Gomez will have been well aware of the obstacles standing between him and a starting gig at the Etihad Stadium when he signed his contract, Joao Cancelo being the most notable one. But in a recent interview with Spanish radio station Partidazo de COPE, Gomez discussed a trait of his that could secure him more minutes on the pitch.
"Things have gone well [since joining City] and I’m very happy with how things are going both at the club and at the national team," said Gomez.
"I consider myself versatile. I'm available for whatever the coach asks. At City, they ask me to play full-back and with [Spain U21 manager] Luis de la Fuente, I'd always played right-wing, and he likes me to play there."
Gomez can certainly do a job in attack. Last week he provided an assist in Spain U21s 4-1 defeat of Romania, while last season at Anderlecht he set up 11 goals from left-back. Such willingness to help the team in what ever way necessary will no doubt please Guardiola, and his ability to switch between multiple positions is reminiscent of several players who have enjoyed excellent careers at City.
Gabriel Jesus arrived at City as a striker in 2017, but arguably played some of his best football in sky blue when he was deployed largely on the right wing last season.
Cancelo is the man currently holding down the first-choice left-back spot, but he only ended up playing there because of injuries to other players and his inability to force Kyle Walker out of the side. The same can be said of Oleksandr Zinchenko, who arrived at City as a winger but who excelled whenever he deputised at left-back.
It might take some years for Gomez to establish himself as the starting left-back, or he may never do so, but his versatility could mean he earns minutes in other positions if circumstances dictate.
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