Manuel Akanji made his full Manchester City debut five days after joining from Borussia Dortmund, but he’s under no illusions about his long-term role in the squad.
Pep Guardiola isn’t short on centre-backs with Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, John Stones and Nathan Ake, so no player will be guaranteed a starting place as their manager likes to rotate his team.
Akanji is prepared for this and said he’s accepting of the role. He’s happy to fight for his place as he acknowledges that his competition are world-class defenders.
Where will Manchester City finish in the Premier League this season?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th or lower
The Swiss international told The Athletic: “I knew the situation at Man City. I knew they have world-class players all around the team. I’m ready for the challenge. It might not be easy and I can’t expect to play every game but we have so many games coming up and we have injuries, suspensions, whatever.
“The club told me that we don’t have a No 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 — we’re all players in that position and the guys who train best and play the best are going to play. Guardiola will make changes because if he plays the same team every game there will be problems — your body just can’t do it.”
It will be a challenge for Guardiola to keep five players happy when they’re competing for just two starting places, but he does need depth in the squad to challenge on all fronts.
When Stones, Ake and Laporte were injured at the same time, Akanji was required to come straight in despite only signing days previously. He’s an experienced centre-back with Champions League pedigree, so Guardiola knows he can call on Akanji and won’t be let down.
What his role will be when every player is 100% fit remains to be seen, but it doesn’t appear he’s worried if he spends time on the bench.
In other news, Jack Grealish earns 4.5x more than Phil Foden and 2x more than Bernardo Silva