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Gianluigi Donnarumma enjoyed a dream debut as Manchester City cantered past Manchester United to win the derby
It turned out we need not have worried.
In a summer where Manchester City allowed two goalkeepers to leave and added a trio of new faces, the decision to move for Gianluigi Donnarumma was justified in stunning fashion in the Manchester derby.
The ability of the 26-year-old was never in question, his ability to play the ball with his feet and how his presence between the posts would impact City's team were the main questions of the somewhat surprising decision to add the PSG 'keeper to the ranks just a matter of weeks after re-signing James Trafford.
And while those questions still remain, they're of less relevance when you can do what the Italian did on the hour mark against Manchester United.
With the ball dropping invitingly for Bryan Mbeumo at the back post, the United man executed a superb volley that was bettered in its brilliance by Donnarumma's sensational save, extending every inch of his 6ft 5in frame to tip the ball behind.
Erling Haaland, the two-goal hero at the other end, couldn't believe what he had seen and was straight up to his new teammate, roaring his approval and giving the Italian a huge chest bump.
Within 10 minutes, Haaland had his second and City's third and the game was over.
It was a dream debut for Donnarumma. It always felt as though he would be thrown in to the XI after just a few sessions with his new teammates, and he barely put a foot wrong.
Tough as it might be on Trafford, Donnarumma will be hard to dislodge on the early evidence.
He was down well to save Benjamin Sesko's early chance and was out quickly to smother the same player on the half hour mark. It was routine enough stuff but unfussy and unflustered, as you would expect from a Champions League and European Championship winner.
There had been some questions as to whether, despite his sizeable frame, he would be able to dominate the penalty area having sometimes struggled in France and on the international stage. But there were no such concerns against United. Donnarumma set the tone inside the first five minutes with a strong hand on a cross into the box and on the stroke of half time he came well for a corner and got significant distance on another punch.
The positives were clear to see, and while he didn't play the eye of the needle passes Ederson might have, he was tidy enough with his short game.
There were a couple of occasions where he went long when the short ball might have been the option and City ceded possession as a result, but that's nitpicking, even if it might be an area to note should City's style change with the 26-year-old in goal.
As it was, Donnarumma wandered off the pitch in conversation with Peter Schmeichel, a great Dane and a giant Italian. The new City 'keeper might be something of a throwback, but City are certainly in good hands with him at the back.
Haaland summed it up after collecting his player of the match award: "I might give it to Gigi actually, he was unbelievable."
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