Nathan Ake has said that former Manchester City striker, Sergio Aguero, was one of the hardest opponents he has played against.
Since making his Premier League debut back in 2012 for Chelsea, the 28-year-old has played against a plethora of attacking figures.
Having played against some of Europe’s top attacking players during his time at the Etihad Stadium, the defender has shared his experience of what it was like to come up against one striker that many City fans will be well aware of.
Ake says it was a nightmare to defend against Aguero
Speaking in a recent edition of the Official Man City Podcast, Ake had this to say when asked about some of the hardest players he has faced off against.
He said: “It depends what position. If I’m centre-back, probably players when I was at Bournemouth. Sergio Aguero, against him, it was difficult just because he always played well. He played well against most teams, certainly against Bournemouth.
“He can play into feet, also in behind. He’s good with the ball. Strong, fast and his finishing is unbelievable. He had everything, when you try and knock him off it, he stays up. He’s so strong, you can’t give him a yard in the box, it’s difficult.”
During his time at Bournemouth, the Dutchman came up against Aguero on four occasions, all of which they lost, with the Argentine scoring four of the 10 goals City scored across those matches.
This makes it easy to see why the current City defender didn’t enjoy having to defend against the former striker, who the Manchester club let go of back in 2021.
Across the 2020/21 season, which was Ake’s first season at City and Aguero’s last, the duo played in just six games together, four of which they won, with one draw and one defeat.
Taking into account how the Argentine ended up scoring 260 goals in 390 appearances for the Citizens, it’s clear that Ake wasn’t the only defender who had a tough time having to stop the former City star from finding the back of the net.
