Marco van Basten, who is known for his controversial opinions has gone out of his way to laud Manchester City defender Nathan Ake.
The £41 million (Sky Sports) man has been one of the Sky Blues’ most in-form players this season, filling in at left-back exceptionally well.
As Manchester City drew 1-1 to Bayern Munich to book their place in the Champions League semi-final, Nathan Ake was praised by Marco van Basten.
Marco van Basten raves about Nathan Ake
The Dutchman’s faultless displays at left-back have made virtually every City fan forget about Joao Cancelo’s abrupt loan exit in January.
While Ake, whose display against Bayern in the first leg was described as ‘top’ by Oleksandr Zinchenko is a rock defensively, even on the ball, he has improved massively in what has been an incredible campaign for him personally.
After Manchester City qualified for their third successive Champions League semi-final place, Marco van Basten lavished praise on to his fellow countryman, Nathan Ake.
“He doesn’t play flawlessly yet, but very solid and stable. He also makes almost no mistakes, and he is very comfortable on the ball. He is also present with a header here and there. So, he is just a very all-round footballer who continues to perform well and consistently”, he told as relayed by Voetbal Primeur.
“You don’t see that much, players who are so consistent. He can also play at left-back and as a centre-back. He is also very strong on the ball and you need that in both those positions.”
MCN View: The Nathan Ake injury is a worry for the Sky Blues
Imagine being overly worried about an injury to ex-Bournemouth centre-back last season and one would be labelled as hyperbolic.
However, as Marco van Basten pinpointed, the ex-Chelsea colossus is crucial to this Manchester City, as the defensive solidity he provides at left-back is second to none.
From a Sky Blues perspective, one hopes he recovers imminently as Ake’s importance cannot be overstated this season.
