Upward learning curve for Gomez

New signing has right attitude for growth, say former coaches

- JOE BRAY

IT'S clear that Sergio Gomez is a talented football player - he wouldn't have represented Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Spain's under-21s if he wasn't, and Manchester City wouldn't have agreed an £11million fee for him either.

What City will be looking for from the prospective new left-back is the right attitude to improve and grow.

That is where the club's extensive scouting system will identify whether a quality player has the right attitude to back up their on-pitch talent.

When scouting Gomez, City might have asked former captain Vincent Kompany, who managed him at Anderlecht and last season had only positive words to say about the 21-year-old.

In fact, after an uncharacteristic mistake last season, Kompany and Gomez's teammates leapt to his defence and praised his character which will resonate far more with City than the mistake itself.

Kompany said: "Sergio Gomez, in particular, experienced the first difficult moment of his Anderlecht period. Yes, it was a mistake that had consequences. But that's part of the life of a football player.