Ait-Nouri facing battle as O'Reilly continues to shine

HUGO Viana was explaining the technical and tactical skills that resulted in City landing on Rayan Ait-Nouri as their preferred left-back target, detailing that the Algerian could play outside and inside when playing in that role.

- By TYRONE MARSHALL

The Blues’ director of football also stressed Ait-Nouri's ‘really, really good’ technical skills and his youth.

But reading it now, it’s a description that could just as easily fit the player he replaced, who now finds himself back in competition with, in Nico O'Reilly.

The only part of Viana's assessment for Ait-Nouri that didn't fit for O'Reilly was that he had a ‘lot of Premier League experience’, but that gap might well be closing.