Jack Grealish and Van de Ven react to Nathan Ake’s message
Nathan Ake’s injury hit season for Manchester City hasn’t deterred Ronald Koeman’s faith in the defender.
Man City haven’t been regularly able to rely on Ake amid the Blues’ worst season since Pep Guardiola‘s first in the Premier League back in 2016–17, and the Dutchman has made just 18 appearances in total.
A hamstring injury picked up on international duty last September has plagued Ake, and surgery on a fracture in his foot three months ago has left City without their number 6 for the bulk of the campaign.
Ake is yet to feature since returning from surgery but did make the bench for their last two games of the season, and could be one of the players shown the door as City prepare an overdue summer overhaul.
Ake reacts to Netherlands recall after Man City struggles
With little over 1,100 minutes under his belt this season and just seven appearances for City in the 2025 calendar year, few would have expected Ake to be a fixture on the international stage this summer.
City will be playing international football themselves at the inaugural Club World Cup, but Ake’s return to the pitch looks set to come in the Netherlands‘ orange jerseys after he was recalled by Ronald Koeman.
The Oranje face Finland and Malta in World Cup qualifiers on 7 June and 10 June respectively, and Ake posted on Instagram (3 June) after his return to the Dutch camp for the first time since September.
Ake’s posted was liked by exit-linked City team-mate Jack Grealish and fellow Dutch centre-back Micky van de Ven, and was captioned with an orange heart emoji and two hands clasped together in prayer.
Ake exit unlikely as Man City weigh up multiple transfers
City’s attempts to address a forgettable season have already begun with the £59million arrival of Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan, and Ake could prove crucial in helping his international team-mate to settle in.
Ake could be one of the multiple names on the chopping block at the Etihad Stadium this summer, but the likes of Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish are far more likely to be heading for the exit door instead.
Grealish will have multiple options in the Premier League in a departure which seems inevitable with Rayan Cherki seemingly bound for City, but with no replacement in sight for Ake, he’s likely to stay put.