The duo came together at the Etihad Stadium last summer after Gvardiol’s move from RB Leipzig shortly after Kovacic completed his switch from Chelsea.
It was to be an impressive first season for both as they played a big part in Pep Guardiola’s side securing the Premier League title for the fourth year in a row.
And the 22-year-old says he has adapted to life in Manchester far quicker than his previous move and is grateful for the helping hand from his compatriot.
“I always like to compare the time I signed for Leipzig and last season with you guys,” Gvardiol told the official Man City Podcast.
“In Leipzig, I was alone, I didn’t have anyone to speak with especially in Croatian and I don’t speak German so it was difficult for me.
“I had Mateo with me and I would say he’s like my father, he’s always there for me and he takes me everywhere.
“Everywhere they go, he just says comes with us because I live alone, I’m single and my parents live in Croatia but they come often.
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“But a lot of the time I’m alone here and he’s the one who always like to call me, to invite me for lunch or dinner or whatever. It’s a different story to the one I had in Leipzig.”
Gvardiol is not the only one to benefit from the experience of Kovacic with the midfielder becoming a major asset for Guardiola.
He can occasionally be an unsung hero with his impact on the team going unnoticed from those outside the Club.
But the defender says his team-mates know exactly what he brings with his brilliant assist for Jack Grealish’s goal against Barcelona in preseason showcasing his talent ahead of the new season.
“Sometimes, even with the qualities that you have, you don’t get that much attention,” Gvardiol added.
“Me, as his friend, and obviously all the other guys know his qualities. You saw it in the game against Barcelona. That’s exactly what he does the best, he’s really strong on the ball and it’s so difficult to take the ball away from him.
“He shouldn’t be worried about being under the radar, he knows his qualities. He’s 30 already, he looks young and I believe he thinks he looks young as well and he’s got many things to do. And hopefully he’s going to show the class he has and how good he is, he has already.
“I can talk about his qualities, but more as a person and I’m really happy to have him next to me.
“He’s a funny guy. He’s funny for me because I get the jokes but some of the other guys don’t understand it.”
Gvardiol can’t wait for the new campaign to start and is ready to make a big impact from the start.
After playing most of last season at left-back, he feels more comfortable in the position and wants to hit the ground running following our summer tour to the United States.
“If I start the season as the same Josko from last season then I wouldn’t be happy because I want to improve myself and get to the next level,” he said.
“At the beginning of last season I had a period where I felt like it wasn’t the rhythm of my play, I needed more time to adapt, to feel comfortable.
“We all have this in this sport so I think I will be a new player and a new me and the only thing is I changed position. I’ve taken it as a challenge and I like to take new challenges to see if I’m ready for that. I just can’t wait to start the season.”
Listen to the full ‘In conversation with Josko Gvardiol’ from 18:00 (UK) today, via your CITY+ subscription.
