The Portuguese defender made the move to City from Juventus in the summer and, after settling in, has figured prominently at right back in the Club’s last three games, impressing again in City’s fine 2-0 Premier League win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
And speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League Group C clash against Atalanta, Cancelo revealed how he is continually learning and developing from working day in, day out, under the boss.
“When I came here, I came here also to learn,” Cancelo declared.
“Pep I think is the best manager in today’s football. It’s true it took me some time to learn but what is important is that the Club do well.
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“For me, as I said, he’s the best manager in football today. I came here to learn from him, and I think that when I play for him, I always learn something and that’s exactly what I’m doing.
“I waited for my moment to come, and when it came I did well, and the team won.”
With the focus switching from domestic matters to Europe, Cancelo also spoke about the lure of achieving success in the Champions League.
However, he warned that the fight to triumph in Europe’s premier competition remained as tough as ever.
“I’ve been aiming to win this competition since I was a child,” the defender revealed.
“Juventus also wants to win. I came here because that’s my type of football. City are one of the teams that can win the Champions League - no doubt about it
“But no, City don’t have have better chances than Juventus. They’re two very strong teams, possibly the strongest in Europe.
“City is definitely one of the teams that can win the Champions League, the same can be said about Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid… They are all very strong teams. One of them will win.
“As I said, it’s not compulsory to win the Champions League. Nobody can have absolute certainty. Both Juventus and City have a lot of quality players and both want to win. But there is no obligation to win, nobody can guarantee a win.”
Though Atalanta have endured a tough start in Group C, having lost their opening group encounters, they have made a solid start in Serie A and currently lie in third position.
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From his own experience playing against them in Italy, Cancelo believes Atalanta will present a tough, demanding examination for City.
But the Portuguese international is confident that, following on from last weekend’s excellent win at Palace, City are in good shape as we seek to take another step towards qualifying for the knockout stages.
“They’re a strong team, a physical team. Atalanta press very well,” Cancelo added.
“They have players that are technically skilled, and I believe it will be a difficult match. We will have to play well because they have some quality players.
“I believe we are two strong teams, all teams are in the Champions League.
“I believe it will be a lively, interesting match. I hope we will get the three points because obviously if we get nine points, we will be in a more secure position in the group.”
