Nathan Ake put in a decent performance in Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday evening and could keep his place when Pep Guardiola’s men travel to face Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.
Ake nearly left City when Chelsea came knocking this summer, having struggled to nail down a starting place in seasons past, but he ended up staying and is now first-choice at the back.
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The 27-year-old was a regular at centre-back earlier this season, starting in City’s 2-0 win over West Ham, 4-0 win over Bournemouth and 3-3 draw with Newcastle but lost his place after picking up a knock.
Ake was absent for the Sky Blues’ 4-2 win over Crystal Palace and 6-0 win over Nottingham Forest but returned to the side in the form of a 10-minute cameo at left-back in City’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
He was an unused substitute in the Champions League win over Sevilla days later but was finally restored to centre-back against Dortmund and fared well.
On Wednesday night, Dortmund’s front three of Giovanni Reyna, Anthony Modeste and Marco Reus failed to register a shot on target between them, and only Reus created a chance out of the trio.
Aymeric Laporte hasn’t made an appearance this season as he’s recovering from surgery following a knee injury, but Ake has shown he can step up in the 28-year-old’s absence and has the trust of his manager.
In other news, Pep Guardiola won’t be happy with Riyad Mahrez after Wednesday’s poor performance