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Pep Guardiola will be delighted Man City defender has impressed at World Cup [Opinion]

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Nathan Ake has been a regular for Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, playing every minute of every game for his country and putting in good performances to boot.

The 27-year-old came into the tournament off the back of one start from Manchester City’s last four Premier League games, but his form will have impressed Pep Guardiola ahead of the domestic season returning later this month.

Ake is averaging just shy of two turnovers per game, has given away just one foul in his last three World Cup outings, boasts three or more clearances per match, has blocked two shots, completed more than 90% of his passes in Netherlands’ last two outings and has not been dribbled past.

Domestically, Ake has made 13 appearances in all competitions this season, boasting seven wins, four draws and one defeat. The 27-year-old was on the periphery over the summer after an injury-hit campaign, but he’s now putting in promising performances for club and country.

Ake has forced a solid partnership alongside Virgil Van Dijk and Jurrien Timber, conceding just two goals in his four World Cup games. Netherlands boast one of the best defences in the tournament and the 27-year-old is part of the reason why.

In other news, Man City given transfer boost in pursuit of Jude Bellingham

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Can you name these Man City players from the 2000s? Test your knowledge, take the quiz and challenge your friends and family to beat your score

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He joined from Newcastle in 2000 and left to join FC Sochaux in 2003

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Sports journalist who is an avid football fan, enjoys debunking transfer rumours, loves to write pieces about players out in the cold and takes a large amount of pride getting a predicted XI 100% correct.