Enzo Maresca and Erling Haaland hail Man City gem Ayyoub Bouaddi after Porto win

Ayyoub Bouaddi has earned huge praise from Enzo Maresca and Erling Haaland after producing an outstanding performance on his first Manchester City start.

The 18-year-old midfielder was handed his opportunity in City’s Champions League opener away to Porto and responded with a remarkably composed display as Maresca’s side secured a 2-0 victory.

Haaland scored both goals in the second half, but Bouaddi emerged as another major talking point after completing 54 of his 55 passes and making seven ball recoveries before being replaced by Mateo Kovacic in the 76th minute.

Starting alongside Enzo Fernandez in midfield, Bouaddi showed little sign of being intimidated by his first Champions League start.

Maresca was particularly impressed by how calmly the teenager handled a difficult European away game.

“You expect how to manage this game” from experienced players such as Haaland, Ruben Dias and Kovacic, Maresca explained, but Bouaddi “was never in panic”.

“He was very good and I think the performance was unbelievable.”

It was another demonstration of the depth available to Maresca after he promised to give opportunities to some of City’s younger players in Portugal.

The City boss was also pleased with the overall performance, believing his team created enough opportunities to have won by a greater margin.

Bouaddi’s performance came as little surprise to Haaland, who revealed the midfielder had already been making a major impression in training.

“I told the chairman that he has been amazing, so I think we have a gem here,” Haaland said.

The Norwegian did have one complaint.

Haaland joked that he was angry with Bouaddi for failing to play him through when he was unmarked during the second half, but that did little to change his assessment of the youngster’s performance.

For an 18-year-old making his first start in a demanding Champions League environment, the early signs are hugely encouraging.

With City competing across four competitions, Bouaddi’s emergence could give Maresca another genuine midfield option rather than simply a youngster to develop on the fringes.

Manchester City now turn their attention to the Manchester derby as they prepare to face Manchester United in the Premier League.

Bouaddi’s performance gives Maresca another selection decision ahead of a demanding run of fixtures. Even if the teenager is not immediately established as a regular starter, his display in Porto showed he is capable of handling significant first-team responsibility.