Magno's a sneaky good defender when he wants to be. There have been a few plays where he lost the ball on offense, got mad about it, turned into prime Alexander Ring and just completely bodied a guy to win the ball back. To the point where I've thought to myself with his size, ball-shielding ability, and the defensive skills he occasionally flashes Magno could a nasty box-to-box CM if he wanted to be.
I don't know what happened to Magno last year, did he just lose all confidence when he wasn't scoring goals? Does he need a Maxi on the pitch to help direct him? It's hard to say but there is loads of talent there, I hope he turns it around this season.
i think last year was magno being frustrated and unsure of what he's doing. he was played out of position and unable to grow into it and perform. then he was basically benched. as a young, promising player who has generally been successful in his career, that can take a toll psychologically. we could see that when he finally scored and the emotions came rushing to the front.
if he's motivated this year, played in his best position (left wing), i think he will perform. if there was truly european interest, then it's all the more reason for him to be motivated. not to mention, he's got his whole career ahead of himself and no professional athlete wants to perform poorly. i think it will take a few games under his belt with solid 80+ minutes each and we'll see the magno we have all been waiting for.