Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has spoken glowingly about former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe, describing him as a “dangerous player” following City’s 2-0 victory over Villarreal on Wednesday night.

Goals from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva sealed the win for the Premier League champions at the Estadio de la Ceramica, but Guardiola was quick to single out Pepe for praise after the game.

“Ah, he’s really good. It was a long time ago when he was playing at Arsenal and I’m happy that he’s playing here [at Villarreal],” Guardiola told reporters.

“I’m pretty sure when Arsenal paid the amount of money they paid it’s because he’s a really good player, otherwise that wouldn’t have happened. He’s a dangerous player in the final third, one-on-one. Jeremy [Doku] and Bernardo defended against him really well.”

Pepe, who became Arsenal’s record signing in 2019, had a big opportunity to get Villarreal back into the game in the 77th minute but fired his volley just over the crossbar.

The Ivorian winger, however, has been one of the bright sparks in La Liga this season and was recently voted Player of the Month for August, with Villarreal currently sitting third in the table.

City’s win against Villarreal followed a draw with Monaco and a victory over Napoli, keeping Guardiola’s side firmly on track in their Champions League campaign.

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