“He now looks like the real deal” – BBC pundit lavishes praise on ‘reliable’ Manchester City star who took ‘a while to find his feet’ at the Etihad

BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has waxed lyrical about Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte after he impressed in the Cityzens' win against Leicester City.

Manchester City beat Leicester 1-0 in their 12th Premier League match of the season on Saturday (29th October). They now sit second in the table with 29 points, having won nine, drawn two and lost one of their games so far.

The Cityzens, who went to the King Power Stadium without top scorer Erling Haaland, had to dig deep to claim all three points. A splendid free-kick goal from Kevin de Bruyne ultimately proved to be the winner for the visitors.

Leicester tested Manchester City's backline on a few occasions on the afternoon, but the defense kept them out. Laporte, in particular, made one tackle and helped the side keep a clean sheet, alongside Manuel Akanji.

Impressed with Laporte's display, Crook admitted that he thought the Spaniard only excelled alongside Ruben Dias. Having now been proven wrong, the former Tottenham Hotspur forward hailed the defender for his reliability. He wrote in his BBC Sport column:

"I have often thought that Aymeric Laporte was the junior partner to Ruben Dias - well, not anymore. Laporte has become a very reliable defender for Manchester City with or without Dias by his side."

Crooks lauded Laporte for his role in Manchester City's win against Leicester. He went on to claim that the Cityzens look invincible with the Spaniard, Dias, Akanji, John Stones and Nathan Ake in defense. He added:

"It has taken the Spaniard a while to find his feet in a team that does not carry any passengers. He now looks like the real deal and was instrumental in City's clean sheet against a very dangerous Leicester City."

"With Laporte, Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake and new starlet Manuel Akanji to choose from, they look almost impregnable."

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How has Laporte fared for Manchester City?

Crooks claimed that Laporte has taken some time to adapt to life at the Etihad Stadium. However, the centre-back has been a regular for the Cityzens since joining them from Athletic Bilbao for £57 million in January 2018.

The Spain international has made 160 appearances across all competitions for Guardiola's side despite often being hindered by injuries. He has also helped the club win 11 trophies, including four league titles.

Laporte missed the start of the 2022-23 season following a knee surgery, but has since played five games for the club. He helped the team keep clean sheets in three of those matches.