Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is convinced by the potential of Liam Delap.
Delap made a 13-minute cameo in City’s FA Cup victory over Fulham on Saturday.
“Liam last season grew up a lot,” said Guardiola. “He is the type of striker we don’t have — a killer, a typical British striker.
“He has special qualities. An incredible finisher. He needs to improve when he drops, with the first touch. The only problem we’ve had is injury after injury after injury. He will dictate the plan to me. It depends on his behaviour and performance.”
Guardiola believes his father, former Stoke player Rory — now a coach in the Potteries — will help shape his development.
“Today there are lots of distractions off the pitch,” he said. “I don’t think that is the case with Liam because his father works at Stoke City and he has come from the world of football. But we are not guards here, we cannot control them.’
Delap has a hulking frame and was the country’s top scorer at Under 23 level last year. Guardiola added: “Every training session he fights — and most of the time wins the duels… or breaks his nose or something like that.”
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