Photo: Brad Tutterow / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
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Marcus Bettinelli has spoken warmly of Gianluigi Donnarumma during Manchester City's pre-season tour of Asia, describing the Italian goalkeeper as humble and hard-working despite his extensive trophy haul.
Both goalkeepers joined City in the summer of 2025 and are among the senior figures in the touring squad, with several key players still absent following the World Cup.
"He's a fantastic goalkeeper who's had a fantastic career so far. He's won a lot of things but he's still so humble and hard working," Bettinelli said. "That showed last season at times, we needed him in big moments in big games and he's there for the team."
Bettinelli acknowledged an initial language barrier but said communication has improved. "We have a bit of a language barrier but his English is getting better all the time so we get on really well," he said.
The 34-year-old also spoke about his own role as a senior player on tour, with two younger goalkeepers included in the travelling squad. "Whenever pre-season comes around, there's always young lads on their first trip like this so it's important we do what we can for them," he said.
Bettinelli joined City from Chelsea, where he worked under new City head coach Enzo Maresca. "I was fortunate enough to work with Enzo for a season so I'm quite used to a lot of the stuff that he's trying to do," he said. "He's made some changes obviously and I think all the boys have adapted really well."
City opened their Asia tour on Saturday against Inter Milan. They face K-League All Stars in Seoul on Wednesday 5 August and Atletico Madrid on Sunday 9 August, with both games kicking off at 12:00 UK time.