Ricci: ‘Manchester City talk pleasing, but I’m not big-headed’

Manchester City scouts were reportedly in the stands to watch Samuele Ricci during Inter 3-2 Torino. ‘It’s pleasing, but one mustn’t get big-headed.’

The midfielder has been identified as the ideal heir to Rodri, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Multiple reports suggested that Pep Guardiola had sent scouts to San Siro for the Saturday evening Serie A match precisely to keep an eye on Ricci.

Ricci finds Manchester City links ‘pleasing’

“I took a while to understand, but now I realise that in the football world as soon as you start doing well, all sorts of rumours start coming out,” the 23-year-old said on Sky Sport Italia.

“Look, it’s pleasing, but one mustn’t get big-headed. I know that there are still many areas where I need to improve.”

Does the Italy international at least read some of the positive newspaper stories that are written about him, especially in connection with a big money Premier League move?

“I see them, my friends send me articles sometimes, but I prefer to focus on something certain like what happens on the pitch.”

Torino gave Inter a real fight this evening, despite seeing Guillermo Maripan sent off after just 20 minutes for a studs-up tackle on Marcus Thuram.

They capitulated 3-2, but the worst news of the night was seeing Duvan Zapata stretchered off in tears with a suspected torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

“We all hope that it is not as serious as it looks, he really doesn’t deserve that,” concluded Ricci.