Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City recently signed a player who is going to be a big success at the Etihad Stadium for many years.
Following a very tough first half to the 2024/25 campaign, Man City dipped into the January transfer window to add to Guardiola’s squad and followed that up with some big additions during the summer, leaving the legendary coach with much better options to choose from compared to 12 months ago.
Tijjani Reijnders has made the biggest impression out of the summer additions so far, while Omar Marmoush made a flying start to life at City despite joining mid-season into a group that was struggling.
Although both have been impressive in Manchester, Guardiola has named another new talent who he believes will have an “incredible” career at Man City for many years.
Pep Guardiola backs Abdukodir Khusanov to be a huge success
Man City acquired Abdukodir Khusanov from RC Lens as part of a £33.8m deal in January, and the 21-year-old has had a mixed start to life in Manchester, having struggled throughout the second half of last season.
That has changed so far during the 2025/26 campaign, as Khusanov was impressive at right-back against Man United and kept the role against Napoli in the Champions League, and Arsenal.
Speaking about the Uzbekistan international ahead of Man City’s Carabao Cup tie with Huddersfield on Wednesday night, Guardiola has admitted that he thinks the youngster is going to be a big success at the Etihad Stadium for many years.
“A lot. He can play as a central defender. All positions at the back, except left-back, I would say,” Guardiola stated when asked if he has been impressed with Khusanov since his arrival. “He is not a player who can create a lot up front, but his size is unbelievable; he is solid.
“He is so focused; he wants to learn. He has been really, really good against the tough opponents we faced.
“He learns quickly, and you can smell he is an incredible top signing for this club. This guy will make a career at this club for many years.”
Versatility will be key to Abdukodir Khusanov’s success at Man City
As Guardiola says, Khusanov can play across the entire backline for Man City, except left-back, which will be a huge factor in why he will be a success in Manchester.
This opens up more opportunities for the 21-year-old to play, and it has worked out very well for other City defenders, such as John Stones, who has played at centre-back, right-back, and in the number six.
Khusanov is a physically impressive defender, and it has emerged that he is one of the fastest players at the club, which aids his chances of holding down the right-back spot for the future.
There is a strong chance the Uzbek will become a big success at Man City, but it is now down to the defender to execute on his potential.
