Guardiola crowns O’Reilly ‘signing of the season’ after Carabao Cup final heroics

London – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has anointed academy graduate Nico O’Reilly as the club’s “signing of the season” following the 20-year-old’s match-winning display in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

O’Reilly’s first-half double proved decisive as City dispatched Arsenal 2-0 to lift the first major domestic trophy of the campaign. The midfielder's brace, both goals struck with composure beyond his years, sealed a record-extending triumph for the Sky Blues and prompted Guardiola to lavish praise on the youngster.

“Signing of the season,” Guardiola declared in the aftermath, underlining the impact of a player who has risen through the club’s youth ranks rather than arrived through a high-priced transfer.

The victory maintains City’s stranglehold on the competition and offers Guardiola’s squad fresh momentum heading into the season’s decisive months, with O’Reilly’s emergence providing an uplifting subplot to another successful Wembley outing.