Guardiola happy with Cancelo’s progress at the club

had a bad start in the Premier League, joining

from

in 2019, but now he has proved himself as one of the most important players for

Pep Guardiola

and the high-profile head coach who admits he had a hard time finding the best role for Cancelo at the beginning has praised his progress over his stay in England.

"Everybody knows how important Joao is with us and what he has done in the last two seasons, especially this season,"

Guardiola said

.

"We have struggled together in the first part when he arrived. We were not agreeing on many things, in part [because] of my mistakes. Now I'm so delighted he's fully happy here and can play in this club for the next years.

"He can play in many positions, and he can play every day. His physicality is impressive and of course the skillset he has, and he's beloved in the locker room because he's so funny.

"The club has to especially work for tomorrow, for the next months and the next years, and the decisions the club has made [regarding contracts] is because the club is working for the future and has to do this."

Guardiola insists that he and the full-back didn’t understand each other at the beginning, but now they know each other more, and this has helped them work better.

"We know each other much better, and every player must be treated in a different way,"

said Guardiola, speaking in a news conference ahead of Saturday's FA Cup clash with Fulham.

"I needed more time to know him, how sensitive he is. He's an incredible person, has a big heart, so sensitive.

"Finally, I think now I understand him a little bit more. Especially because he's an important player for us. When he arrived, we have an instructor to understand the way we want to play, and he struggled a little bit to understand what we want to do.

"That was the reason why. There were not arguments. Every player's a world, and you have to understand them as much as possible. Sometimes you need time to understand each other."

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