Commanding young shot stopper

Aro Muric will spend the 2019/20 season on loan with Nottingham Forest. 

Arijanet Muric arrived at City in March 2015 from Grasshopper Club Zurich.

Standing at 6’6, his imposing frame combined with excellent reflexes make him a commanding shot-stopper and, comfortable with the ball at his feet, he is certainly a modern goalkeeper.

Aro graduated to the first-team squad in 2018/19, making his debut in a season in which City won every trophy available to them in England.

The young ‘keeper featured regularly for the U18s throughout the 2016/17 season as the Academy outfit finished unbeaten as Premier League North champions.

He also took the No.1 spot for the FA Youth campaign and played all seven games as City finished runners-up.

Having signed a three-year contract in July 2017, Aro toured the United States with the first-team that same summer and played for the Elite Development Squad in the following campaign.

He headed to the Netherlands and NAC Breda for a loan spell in 2018/19 but was recalled after one appearance when injury ruled Claudio Bravo out of the rest of the campaign.

A first-team debut followed, in September’s 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Oxford United, and he proved to be the hero in the quarter-final penalty shootout victory over Leicester City.

The 20-year-old kept four clean sheets as City reached the final, where he provided backup for Ederson, a role he continued to fulfil for the remainder of the season.

At international level, Swiss-born Aro, represented Montenegro U21s before electing to play for Kosovo at senior level.

He made his debut in the 4-0 UEFA Nations League victory over Azerbaijan in November 2018.