"I don't really like the word 'transition.'" Gianluigi Donnarumma said it in an exclusive Sky Sports interview with Sam Blitz at Manchester City’s training ground, and the point was clear enough. He is not treating this as a reset year for Manchester City. He sees a club whose standard is still to win, and whose new faces are already being pulled into that way of working.

City's start and derby win

Donnarumma's view has some backing from the results. City had a faultless start to the campaign and a 100 per cent record after four games, then beat Manchester United 1-0 in the derby. They have also won 4 of their last 5, which is a decent early marker for a side that has had a few changes but has not looked flat.

Donnarumma said he loved his team-mates' performance in the derby, calling it "sublime," and added that City’s ability to stay in games and react in difficult moments is part of what defines them. His own numbers in the league are steady too, with a 7.02 average across 3 starts and 274 minutes, a solid platform rather than a noisy one.

The leadership group and new arrivals

The other part of his argument is internal. Donnarumma said he is part of a newly formed leadership group alongside Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland and Marc Guehi, while also saying City have changed a few players and that the new arrivals are adapting well. That is the practical side of the club's position right now, the old core helping the newcomers settle instead of waiting for them to catch up on their own.

He made the ambition just as plain. "The club's objective is to win. This team's objective is to win," he said. "We could reach the end of the season having won something, or having won nothing. But what's important is having a winning mentality, going out there and trying to win everything we possibly can."

City's next league fixture is Manchester City vs Sunderland on 19 September at 14:00 UTC. Donnarumma is talking like a player inside a team that expects to compete immediately, and the schedule gives them a chance to keep that start intact.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →