Forward scored on his debut as Premier League side battered League One opponents Exeter
Antoine Semenyo is humble and talented, but above all, brings what Manchester City “really want”, according to assistant coach Pep Lijnders.
With Pep Guardiola in the stands due to a suspension, Lijnders was in the dugout as Semenyo scored on his debut while City hammered League One side Exeter 10-1. The Ghanaian joined this window after City activated his £65m release clause to prise him from Bournemouth’s grasp.
“I think a lot of good performances today, a lot of good individual performances,” Lijnders said.
“I think when the team plays like that it becomes easier for the individual, but Antoine is settling well, he is a humble guy, we have followed him for a long time, but he brings something to the front line, what we really want and what we need.
“He can attack quickly, he wants to chase, he is a guy who doesn’t stop. I think you see today that he can adapt quite quickly to our style. It’s nice to have him with us.”
Most teams would have taken the foot of the pedal when they were 5-0 up against lower-tier opposition, but not City. The Premier League side kept going, even scoring in stoppage time to set a new record for their biggest-ever win.
Lijnders said: “I think from the first minute we showed with our high press, with the way we went after them, we really respected that, because the way the performance was on top to get the ball back quick, it was a good performance.
“I think for the fans, for everybody around, the amount of goals, but especially when it was 4-0, 5-0 we kept pushing, and it was overall a really good day for Man City.”
