Manuel Akanji has had a very successful time as a Manchester City player.
The Blues signed the defender from Borussia Dortmund towards the end of the 2022 summer transfer window in a deal worth £15m.
Since then, the 29-year-old has made 96 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side across all competitions, playing alongside 30 other players in the process.
Now that Akanji is preparing to take on his third season at the Manchester club, the centre-back has shared some praise for someone he has enjoyed his time at City with who may now be set to wave goodbye to the Blues.
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Manuel Akanji says he’d love to have Julian Alvarez as an international teammate
In a recent video shared on the ESPN UK TikTok channel, Akanji was asked which of his City teammates he would take to play in the Switzerland national side.
He said: “I would like Julian Alvarez in our national team because he’s, for me, an all-around striker.
“He scores a lot of goals as well but he can also create chances.
“He works a lot so I would like to have Julian in our team.”
Alvarez proved himself as a top player at City
Similarly to Akanji, Alvarez has spent two seasons at the Etihad Stadium, scoring 36 goals and delivering 18 assists in 103 appearances across all competitions, lifting numerous domestic and European trophies in the process.
Despite Akanji’s clear admiration for the Argentine, he may not be a teammate of the 24-year-old for much longer, as Atletico Madrid have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Alvarez for €95m (£81m).
Having paid just £14m to sign the Argentina international from River Plate back in 2022, the fact that City could be about to make such a significant profit on him shows how Alvarez has proved himself to be a top player.
