MAN CITY GOALKEEPER EDERSON HITS BACK AT 'COMPLETELY FALSE' CLAIMS THAT HE WAS 'AFFECTED' BY PRAISE FOR TEAM-MATE STEFAN ORTEGA... AND INSISTS HE'S 'FULLY FOCUSED' ON NEXT SEASON DESPITE INTEREST FROM SAUDI ARABIA

A report claimed Ederson was affected by praise Ortega got against Tottenham
Ortega made a world class save to denyy Son Heung-min late on in title run-in
Ederson says the report is 'completely' false and is focused on the new season

Manchester City goalkeeper has hit back at claims he was 'affected' by praise for team-mate Stefan Ortega.

The Brazilian shot-stopper has been a crucial cog in Pep Guardiola's title-consuming machine in recent years, having arrived from Benfica for around £33million in 2017, replacing Claudio Bravo.

He is widely regarded as the best ball-playing goalkeeper in the world, and has stepped into Manuel Neuer's gloves as the undisputed sweeper-keeper king.

Yet he has been linked with a move to Al-Ittihad and the Saudi Pro League despite his status in the game, with Man City setting a price of £50m.

The Athletic reported earlier this week Ederson was 'affected' by the praise his team-mate Stefan Ortega garnered for his world class stop against Son Heung-min in a crucial Premier League run-in trip to Tottenham.

Ederson took to social media to label the report 'completely false' and insist he's 'fully focused' on the upcoming season.

He wrote in a post on Instagram: 'I would like to clarify that the note published by The Athletic yesterday, referring to my alleged dissatisfaction with a co-worker, is completely false.

'The alleged day reported was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult days of my career, when I suffered a fracture that prevented me from playing in the final stretch of the season and, consequently, from representing my country in the Copa América.

'At the time of the injury, my only thought was to continue in the match, defending City in the fight for the title we had won, but the emotion of the match would be greater than the reality and, inevitably, I would not be able to continue as I would have liked due to the damage it caused, completely blocking my field of vision.

'I remain focused on preparing for the season.'

Ederson's wife also responded to the report, posting on Instagram: 'Get better information first, this is totally fake news.'

German goalkeeper Ortega understandably drew plaudits for his heroics against Tottenham, though some fans appeared to suggest that Ederson himself might not have made the stop - something which has seemingly irked the Brazilian.

However, in Guardiola's eyes it would appear that there is only one top dog between the sticks, and after that game he was quick to underline that though Ortega's was a title-defining stop, Ederson was still his No 1.

'Do you know why we won the Champions League?' he asked. 'It was Ederson. In Madrid, 1-1, he made an incredible save from a header from Benzema.

'The Champions League final, he was the key player, the key to winning. We cannot define the period without Eddie, impossible.'

2024-07-26T19:24:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd