Foden and Reijnders react to Manuel Akanji’s ‘secured’ Man City message
Phil Foden and Tijjani Reijnders have reacted to a new message from Man City teammate Manuel Akanji on social media.
Akanji has remained a key part of City’s defence recently, despite injury issues, as he heads into his fourth campaign at the club in the upcoming season.
The Switzerland international has made over 130 appearances under Pep Guardiola since a 2022 move from Borussia Dortmund, but he missed the Citizens’ flight to the USA for the Club World Cup in mid-June [Manchester Evening News].
Akanji has also admitted that he is “a strong critic” of the new revamped competition, but his performances have not reflected his feelings as City aim to defend their crown in the States.
Man City deliver standout CWC showing
Akanji sat out of City’s first Club World Cup game after arriving late to the tournament due to being on international duty with Switzerland, but he was handed a starting berth in their second group game against Al-Ain on Monday (23 June).
The 29-year-old played 90 minutes as Pep Guardiola’s side thrashed their opponents 6-0, and he won a penalty and had a pass accuracy of 98% [Fotmob] while then being named in the official Team of the Week for his showing by DAZN.
Akanji took to Instagram after his impressive performance to post a series of images from the game alongside the caption: “Secured a spot in the last 16,” and his post was reacted to by a number of his teammates, with Foden, Reijnders, Omar Marmoush, Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes all liking the message, while Nathan Ake followed suit and also commented a TOP emoji.
Akanji set to continue as regular despite Guardiola’s big spending
Football Insider verdict
Guardiola has moved to sign Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli and Reijnders since the window opened, while Sverre Nypan also looks set to join the Citizens from Rosenborg soon.
One position he has not yet targeted in depth is centre-back, likely due to the wealth of options at the heart of his defence, with Akanji, Dias, Ake, John Stones, and January signings Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov all at his disposal as it stands.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 134 | 5 | 3 |
Akanji is certainly one of the Citizens’ most reliable players in his position, based on his performances over the years and experience, and so it would come as a huge surprise to see him depart the club this summer.
The 29-year-old definitely seems more likely to stay at the club than injury-prone Stones, who has been linked with a return to Everton, while Khusanov has struggled to adapt to English football and may be allowed to depart soon.