Two former Manchester City stars have identified Nathan Ake as one of the key factors behind Jack Grealish’s improvement last season.
Grealish joined City from Aston Villa in a £100m move in 2021, a British transfer record.
However, the 27-year-old attacker struggled to make an impact in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, leading some to question his suitability to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Yet Grealish proved his critics wrong last season, playing a key role in City’s treble-winning campaign.
Ake has been key
Last season Grealish played with greater understanding of his role and confidence.
What was also noticeable was his attacking output – City fans saw much more of the exciting, attack-minded Grealish who set the Premier League alight at Villa.
According to former City player Joleon Lescott and Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nathan Ake – who is set to sign a new contract at the club – can take some of the credit for that.
In the second half of the season the Dutch defender regularly lined up on the left side of City’s back line, coinciding with Grealish’s improved performances.
“Speaking to Grealish, Ake is a massive part of what he [Grealish] is about now, how he performs, because Ake doesn’t crowd his space as much as Cancelo was when he was playing left-back,” Lescott said on City Matchday Live before the Blues beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in a friendly on Wednesday.
“I think Ake recognises that ‘I’ll defend, get the ball to Grealish and let him do his thing’, and the partnership has been working immaculately.”
Wright-Phillips – who like Grealish played on the flank for City and England – explained how a defensive-minded full-back can help a winger.
“As an attacker it gives you that thought that you can play cat and mouse with the [opposition] defender, because you know he [Ake] is capable of dealing with the situation that you’ve left him in.
“Sometimes as a winger you need to be able to cheat that once so the full-back you’re playing against doesn’t take big chances or push high up the pitch too early. To have that defender behind you is massively important.”
