Since Pep Guardiola took charge of Manchester City, the Portuguese press started linking Alex Grimaldo with a move from Benfica to the Premier League club.
Their basis for the story was Guardiola knew the left-back since their time at Barcelona, and being a big admirer of his qualities, the Manchester City manager would make an effort to take the player to England.
With Manchester City releasing Aleksandar Kolarov and Gael Clichy this summer, it became quite obvious that Guardiola wasn’t happy with his players for the position, and that’s why the club spent €58m to bring Benjamin Mendy from Monaco.
But why didn’t Guardiola didn’t go for Grimaldo, who was a cheaper and younger option? Well, today’s story from O Jogo brings a good reason why any manager would be afraid to spend money on him.
The newspaper covers all the time Grimaldo has been left out because of injury, and it’s a lot. Since signing for Benfica in January 2016, the club played 87 times, and the player missed 36 games.
That means being out of 41.4% of the club’s matches, or 3272 minutes missed. A lot for a 21-year-old, who’s been suffering with abdominal and muscle injuries for years.
With Manchester City obviously doing heavy scouting for any transfer market, they certainly know about the player’s history, and would think twice before the move.
Even though Grimaldo has shown great potential and has a secure place in Benfica’s starting eleven, his situation is concerning.
