Man City expected to block Nathan Ake exit after injury update – pundit
Alan Hutton has claimed Man City could hold onto Nathan Ake this summer given Aymeric Laporte’s injury status.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Tottenham and Aston Villa defender suggested Pep Guardiola will “have his eye” on the transfer market but could opt to hold on to Ake for the time being.
As quoted by the Daily Mail (29 July), Guardiola revealed that Laporte, 28, has had surgery on a knee injury sustained towards the back end of last season.
The Sky Blues manager said the defender will be out until September.
Ake featured in City’s Community Shield match against Liverpool on 30 July.
When asked if he thought City could re-enter the transfer window to fill Laporte’s spot, Hutton told Football Insider: “I think Pep Guardiola will be happy with his squad.
“I think there’s a lot of options there for City. He’ll obviously have his eye on the transfer market – can he bring somebody in? Does he need to fill that gap for this moment in time?
“I think when you look at Pep last season, he did rotate, it wasn’t like he had his main pairing and they played every game week in week out. It’s not ideal having Laporte out for a sustained period of time. He’s obviously a top quality player but I think they’ve got the capability of dealing with it.
“Does that mean maybe Ake doesn’t leave because obviously there’s been a lot of speculation about him moving somewhere else. Maybe he’ll just try and hold on to someone like that as cover for now.“
In other news, an expert has suggested Man City have triggered seventh Tottenham signing amid Destiny Udogie latest.