Has Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola adapted his philosophy for Gianluigi Donnarumma?

Manchester City signing Gianluigi Donnarumma was a turn-up for the books.

When Paris Saint-Germain was hurtling towards their Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Champions League treble last season, it seemed that they had built a team which didn’t need much improvement. Yet one transfer which surprised many was the acquisition of Lucas Chevalier from Lille, as Gianluigi Donnarumma was deemed surplus to requirements.

Luis Enrique had decided that the goalkeeper wasn’t a perfect fit stylistically, even though the club had enjoyed a triumphant campaign and Donnarumma had certainly played a huge part in that success. The main reason for this was his distribution with his feet, so it has been a shock to see the goalkeeper make the switch to Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola is tweaking his Manchester City philosophy once more – with Gianluigi Donnarumma the focus

Pep Guardiola had famously discarded Joe Hart before he had played a game for the Catalan, when he first made the move to the Premier League. The arrival of Claudio Bravo from Barcelona as his replacement ultimately proved unsuccessful, though, as the Chilean made high-profile errors.

Guardiola eventually found the perfect option in Ederson, as he combined both ball-playing ability with a commanding presence.

However, the Brazilian’s form dropped off dramatically last term, and he looked like he could do with a fresh challenge. The signing of Donnarumma – ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best goalkeepers in the world right now – may just be another example of Guardiola adapting his principles once again.

He may not be the prototype Guardiola goalkeeper, but there’s no doubting his overall technical ability. His physicality makes him difficult to bypass in one-on-one situations, whilst his shot-stopping capability is certainly amongst the very best in the world.

In the Manchester derby on Sunday, he produced a finger-tipped save from a volley off Manchester United forward Bryan Mbuemo just after the hour mark, which was top-level.

It highlighted his incredible athleticism, as he received several high fives from his new teammates and a huge hug from two-goal hero Erling Haaland.

“I liked the save and then after that the reaction from Josko (Gvardiol), from Ruben (Dias),” said Guardiola after the match.

“Every player wants to be loved. All of us. Every team that shares good emotions together, both good and bad moments, start to be a team.”

Earlier in the match, he had used his huge frame to thwart Benjamin Sesko when the striker breached City’s high line, although the Slovakian had handled the ball when attempting to control it in the build-up.

At the opposite end of the pitch, United’s Altay Bayindir had suffered a nervy start when his first touch allowed the ball to get away from him and then he slipped in the wet conditions with his attempted clearance.

The Turkish goalkeeper couldn’t be blamed for any of City’s three goals, but he didn’t strike confidence in the United defence and was the subject of ironic cheers from the home supporters with the ball at his feet later in the encounter.

United had reportedly inquired about Donnarumma themselves; however, they were put off by the Italian international’s wages. They eventually settled on Senne Lammens from Antwerp, who may prove to be a good signing in time, though he is vastly inexperienced.

City has opted for a player who can make an immediate impact, even if there are some stylistic differences with Guardiola’s previous sides.

The manager could be seen gesturing in the 14th minute when Donnarumma didn’t release the ball quickly enough after he had gathered it in his hands. There will be some teething issues should he choose to take the calculated risks that Ederson once did in possession, and questions remain around how comfortable he is when dealing with crosses.

However, on the day when former boxer Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton sadly passed away, it was Donnarumma wearing a different kind of gloves that left a lasting positive impression.