Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has lavished praise upon Manuel Akanji.
In his press conference ahead of City’s upcoming clash against Young Boys (via Manchester Evening News), the Catalan tactician gave his two cents on the £180,000-a-week (Sport Rac) man.
It’s safe to say that Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer of Manuel Akanji, who recently stole the headlines by getting sent off against Brighton.
Pep Guardiola raves about the signing of Manuel Akanji
Branded as ‘unbelievable’ by Sam Allardyce, the Swiss international was integral in the Sky Blues’ treble-winning season, operating at centre-back, right-back and left-back and doing so with aplomb.
While many expected the former Borussia Dortmund defender to merely serve as a backup option, he has emerged as a vital cog in the side since his arrival.
Now, Pep Guardiola has showered Manuel Akanji with praise, saying, “What a signing.”
“We were so lucky to get him last season. We moved quickly to sign him. A lovely guy can play in two or three positions, central defence but also right-back, holding midfielder. Open minded, so intelligent. It’s a joy to work with him.”
Manuel Akanji does not always get the credit he deserves
Considering how dependable Manuel Akanji has been since signing for Manchester City, it seems like he is not rated as highly by the masses as he is by Pep Guardiola.
Perhaps one reason behind this is due to the fact that the 28-year-old is not on the level of the likes of Ruben Dias and John Stones.
However, that is quite a harsh way of assessing Manuel Akanji, considering not many centre-backs in the world are even in the same league as the aforementioned pair.
Considering Akanji was a last-minute signing and he did not come with the best reputation from Dortmund, his unique versatility and incredible consistency are facets that should be admired a lot more.
