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#9 Aymeric Laporte
Pep Guardiola has worked with a variety of players during his managerial career, but it is common knowledge that the Catalan prefers a particular breed of players.
Guardiola's ideal center-back belongs to the highly technical ball-playing category and must have the ability and awareness to maintain a high line on the pitch. Aymeric Laporte is one of the few defenders in the world who seem to fit the bill.
Laporte is of both Basque and French descent and spent his formative years at Athletic Bilbao. Manchester City secured his services from Athletic Bilbao in the winter transfer window in 2018 for a hefty fee of £57 million.
The defender started most of Manchester City's game in the 2018-19 season and was an imperious presence in City's backline. The team's style of playing the ball out from the back suited him perfectly, and he excelled at dictating play from within his half of the pitch with Fernandinho for company.
The Frenchman suffered an injury at the start of the 2019-20 season and has been sorely missed by Manchester City. The club's defense has lacked his quiet confidence on the pitch, and Pep Guardiola will surely be looking forward to his return.
