Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - October 22, 2022 Manchester City's Manuel Akanji in action with Brighton & Hove Albion's Solly March REUTERS/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji has been praised for his immediate impact on the team by Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson.
The Lowdown: An immediate impact for City
City signed the centre-back towards the end of the previous summer transfer window from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth a reported fee of just over £15m.
Since then, the 27-year-old has made 11 appearances for the Blues across the Premier League and Champions League.
Given how much of a regular figure he has quickly become in Pep Guardiola’s side, the defender has now found himself on the end of some heavy praise.
The Latest: Praise for Akanji
Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson had this to say about Akanji and his performances for City.
“His performances have surpassed expectations. Pep spoke very highly of him. Pep clearly trusts him.
“He is young but he has settled into that team so quickly. He has kept [Ruben] Dias out of the team at times.
“Akanji has been almost the first-choice centre-back. He is a top-class centre-back and I think there will be more to come from him. He will only get better under Pep Guardiola’s management.”
The Verdict: A masterclass signing
Across the six Premier League games that Akanji has played for City, the centre-back has racked up the fifth-highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (17) at the club, as well as having the second-highest passing accuracy percentage (94.4%).
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His performances in the league have earned him a season rating of 6.81/10 from WhoScored, which is higher than the likes of John Stones (6.71/10), Nathan Ake (6.67/10) and Aymeric Laporte (6.34/10).
Having been praised by Guardiola for the “magnificent” ability he has on the ball, it’s easy to see why Robinson has shared his own praise for the City defender.
Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Akanji, who will be hoping to have a successful time with Switzerland in the upcoming World Cup, has had a very strong start to life at City and will look to continue that throughout the remainder of the season.
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