Man City star Manuel Akanji set for Premier League debut after development pre-Tottenham – pundit
Alan Hutton has suggested Man City defender Manuel Akanji is set to make his Premier League debut against Tottenham on Saturday (10 September).
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs and Aston Villa right-back said Akanji will be “more than capable” of starting in the high-profile clash.
Speaking to club media (4 September) Pep Guardiola said he has been impressed with how well the 27-year-old has been training since making the switch from Borussia Dortmund.
The defender made his competitive debut for the Cityzens against Sevilla on Tuesday night (6 September).
The 27-year-old played the full 90 minutes in a 4-0 win over the Spanish club.
Nathan Ake was an unused substitute in the Sky Blues’ Champions League opener.
He returned to the squad for the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday after picking up an injury in the 3-3 draw with Newcastle United last month (21 August).
When asked who would likely be favoured for the visit of Tottenham, Hutton told Football Insider: “I think Akanji.
“He’s a guy with a lot of experience in the German league and in Europe.
“It won’t be a problem for someone like him to come in and play centre-back. If he feels he’s ready I don’t see it being a problem.
“We know they’ve had injury problems at centre-half with the likes of [Aymeric] Laporte so I’m pretty sure he’ll be more than ready and capable if he’s called upon to just slot in there.“
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