Manchester City fans have had their first glimpse of new signing Tijjani Reijnders.
Reijnders completed a move to Man City last week, and the Dutch star made his debut for the Premier League giants on Wednesday, as Pep Guardiola’s men defeated Wydad AC 2-0 in their first match of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The midfielder played the full 90 minutes against the Moroccan side in Philadelphia, and Man City fans were left impressed with Reijnders after showing what he can do in a sky blue shirt for the first time.
The supporters of the Manchester club were not the only ones to praise the 26-year-old. Nathan Ake played a role in Reijnders joining Man City, and after the Wydad contest, the Dutch defender shared his thoughts on the debut of his fellow countryman.
Nathan Ake was impressed with Tijjani Reijnders
Guardiola was left a little frustrated by the performance of new Man City signing Rayan Cherki against Wydad, but the same cannot be said for Reijnders, who impressed on Wednesday.
The Dutch star showed exactly what he can bring to the Manchester club, and his display impressed Ake, who praised the Netherlands international after the match.
“I think he could be very important,” Ake told Mancity.com about Reijnders. “I know him really well. I think from the first week in training, you could straight away see that he fits in really well. You see the quality he has.
“I think he did very well in midfield against Wydad in tough circumstances, but I think he kept the ball really well. He kept us moving, and defensively, he was very good too.
“He can play multiple positions, he can get in the box, he can get you moving, and we know he’s got a lot of quality.
“With Rayan Cherki too, you can see the quality he has, so I’m sure there’s loads more to come from the guys.”
Tijjani Reijnders’ Wydad performance in numbers
Reijnders looked a great fit for Man City against Wydad as the Dutch star was assured on the ball, while being happy to try and break the lines with passes, and his physicality was also on display for everyone to see.
The numbers show just how impressive the 26-year-old was, as Reijnders had 82 touches, 68 accurate passes with a 92% pass accuracy.
He also completed 100% of his tackles and dribbles, made eight passes into the final third, had four recoveries, won two ground duels, made one clearance, created one chance, had one accurate long ball, and one touch in the opposition box.
Reijnders has the potential to be one of the signings of the season in the Premier League, and the midfielder showed in Philadelphia what is to come over the next few months.
