Abu Dhabi: Manchester City’s out-of-favour forward Nolito is philosophical about his lack of first-team football and vowed to “keep getting better” in a bid to return to the starting line-up.
After being a City regular at the beginning of the season following his switch from La Liga’s Celta Vigo last summer, Nolito has been largely a substitute after Leroy Sane’s exhilarating emergence.
Brazilian youngster Gabriel Jesus’s coruscating impact since joining in January, before he suffered a fractured metatarsal last week, has also rendered the 30-year-old Spain international a peripheral figure.
Nolito has netted four times in only 15 appearances for City and was an unused substitute in Tuesday evening’s 5-3 home win over Monaco in the Champions League last 16, first leg.
But he appeared sanguine and smiling about his prospects of a recall when speaking to media at City’s warm-weather training camp in Abu Dhabi this week.
“I am really happy to be at Manchester City. Manchester City has a lot of good players and there are still a lot of matches [to be played this season],” he said, speaking through a translator, on the sidelines of the Emirates Palace hotel pitch.
Has he sought reassurances over his future from coach Pep Guardiola?
“There are still a lot of training sessions and I am going to work a lot to keep getting better and better and this is what the trainer says.”
Nolito has taken heart from Sergio Aguero’s thunderous message of intent in the form of two goals against Monaco, after Jesus had been preferred to the Argentine striker.
“As I’ve said before, Manchester City has a lot of players and good players and you can only play 11 at a time,” added the winger, who has 16 caps and six goals for Spain. “So you play one and the next maybe you’re not going to play. This is part of the game.”
