Sad News: Funny, according to Josko Gvardiol. Excellent both on and off the field, Man City teammate.

Josko Gvardiol is about to get into his second season at Manchester City.

The £77 million move that brought the defender to the Etihad Stadium last summer saw him play 42 games for City in all competitions.

The 22-year-old has provided some information on another member of Pep Guardiola’s squad who is about to begin his second season at City ahead of this Saturday’s Community Shield matchup against Manchester United and the Premier League opener against Chelsea.

Josko Gvardiol praises Mateo Kovacic for what he does on and off the pitch.

In a recent episode of the official Man City Podcast (via Man City), Gvardiol gave Mateo Kovacic, his club and national colleague, a lot of praise for his actions both on and off the field.

“I always like to compare the time I signed for Leipzig and last season with you guys,” he remarked. “It was difficult for me because I don’t speak German and I was alone in Leipzig. I didn’t have anyone to speak with, especially in Croatian.”

Mateo was with me, and I would compare him to my father in that he brings me everywhere and is always there for me.

He just adds, “Come with us wherever we go because I live alone, I’m single, and my parents live in Croatia but they visit us frequently.”

However, he’s the one that constantly loves to contact me when I’m alone myself and invites me out for lunch, dinner, or anything. The narrative differs from the one I experienced in Leipzig.

Even with your qualities, you may not always receive the attention you deserve. As a buddy, I am aware of his qualities, as are the other guys.

It was evident in the matchup with Barcelona. He excels at just that; he is really powerful with the ball and makes it tough to take it away from him.

He is aware of his qualities, thus he shouldn’t be concerned about going unnoticed. Even though he is now thirty, he still seems young, and he has a lot of work ahead of him. And ideally, he will demonstrate his class and his already-developed talent.

I’m glad to have him by me and I can speak more about his personal traits than his qualities.

He’s a humorous man. I find him humorous because I get his jokes, but some of the other guys don’t.

Kovacic has shown his importance for City.

Similar to Gvardiol, City acquired Kovacic from Chelsea in a £30 million deal last summer.

The midfielder made 46 appearances in his debut season with the Manchester club, contributing three goals and one assist.

Gvardiol was praised by Kovacic back in May, when he was called a “unbelievable” player.

The defender’s recent comments about how content he is to have his fellow Croatian alongside him both on and off the field demonstrate how valuable the former Chelsea player has been to City as a member of the team.