"The perfect Pep player", "What a baller" - Manchester City fans heap praises on 29-year-old star for incredible performance in win over Burnley

Manchester City confidently beat 10-man Burnley 3-0 in their season opener and fans were impressed by Mateo Kovacic's display.

The Croatian midfielder made his first league appearance for the Cityzens since joining from Chelsea earlier this summer. He caught the eye in the middle of the park after replacing the injured Kevin De Bruyne in the 23rd minute.

Kovacic didn't score or assist but he put in a solid performance in the heart of Manchester City's midfield. He made one key pass and created one big chance and gelled well with Rodri.

The 29-year-old also broke up play well with two tackles and won four of six ground duels. It was quite the start to his new career at the Etihad for the Croatia international and he has staked a claim to replace De Bruyne should he be sidelined for a while.

Kovacic cost Manchester City an initial £25 million from Chelsea and he has already bedded in well. He looks extremely comfortable in Pep Guardiola's side's midfield.

However, the night was all about Erling Haaland who continued his incredible goalscoring form for last season's treble winners. He bagged a brace while Rodri was also on the scoresheet for Guardiola's City.

Still, fans wanted to point out Kovacic's impressive display against Burnley. One fan reckons he suits Guardiola:

"Kovacic is the perfect Pep player."

Another fan reckons the Croat balled out against Burnley and is a good replacement for Ilkay Gundogan:

""Bro i'm so tucking glad we signed Kovacic icl what a baller. This guy adapted within 60 minutes game time. Perfect gundo replacement."

Here's how Twitter reacted to Kovacic's outing against the Clarets at Turf Moor:

Kovacic is lauded by fans.

More fans heap praise on the Croatian.

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Bacary Sagna questions Mateo Kovacic's capabilities to succeed Ilkay Gundogan in Manchester City's midfield

Sagna (above) deems Gundogan as last season's best PL player.

Kovacic's arrival came just as Ilkay Gundogan ended his seven-year stay at Manchester City. The German midfielder became a City icon during that time and finished his spell at the Etihad as a treble winner and did so as captain.

Hence, Kovacic had big shoes to fill in the form of Gundogan who decided to join Barcelona on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with City.

Former Cityzens right-back Bacary Sagna has questioned whether the Croatian is good enough to replace the former Manchester City skipper. He said (via Manchester Evening News):

“Mateo Kovacic is a good player but he’s not Gündoğan, he has different qualities. Last season, Gündoğan had an amazing season and was the best player in the league. In Kovacic, they’ve found a nice replacement and someone who can get the ball, penetrate and commit players."

Kovacic was hugely successful at Chelsea prior to his move to Guardiola's treble winners. He featured 221 times across competitions, scoring six goals and providing 15 assists.