Manchester City fans will get their first glimpse of new signing Tijjani Reijnders this week.
The Dutch star will make his debut for the Premier League club in their opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup on Wednesday against Wydad AC after Reijnders completed a £48m move to Man City last week.
The arrival of the midfielder has City fans excited, as the 26-year-old is exactly what Pep Guardiola’s team needed ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, having shown a lack of physicality in their midfield during the previous campaign in the absence of Rodri.
Reijnders is currently preparing for his Man City debut, and it is being reported that the Netherlands international is already making an impression.
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Tijjani Reijnders is making a good impression at Man City
Most big clubs do background checks on their new signings to make sure they are a good fit for the dressing room they are entering, and it seems that Man City have got it spot on with Reijnders.
The Times are reporting how impressed the staff at the Manchester club have been with their new Dutch signing, who has been described as being down-to-earth.
“Reijnders has made a good impression since he joined, greeting support-staff members by their first names whenever he sees them at their base an hour north of Miami,” Paul Hirst wrote.
“The Netherlands international has undertaken his media duties without any trouble and spoke in flawless English during his conversation with the national press at City’s training ground last Saturday.
“Staff members speak of his down-to-earth nature, which probably stems from the fact that he stacked shelves at Aldi as a teenager, even though he was on the books of the Eredivisie side PEC Zwolle and not far from first-team football at that stage.
“Reijnders said he had been given a warm welcome by his new City team-mates, and senses they are determined to win the Club World Cup after a trophyless campaign. City’s first match of the month-long tournament is against Wydad Casablanca, of Morocco, in Philadelphia on Wednesday.”
Guardiola has already told Reijnders that he will look after him at Man City, and with this attitude, it seems the legendary coach will have no problems with the Dutch star.
How Pep Guardiola plans to use Tijjani Reijnders at Man City
Guardiola is set to use Reijnders in the number eight role in his team with a licence to get forward and create havoc in the opposition box, while Rodri does all the heavy work behind the Netherlands international.
Micah Richards believes Reijnders can win Man City the Club World Cup, which shows the excitement around the 26-year-old’s arrival at the Etihad Stadium.
Nigel Reo-Coker recently compared Reijnders to Frank Lampard, and if the midfielder has half the career the Englishman had in the Premier League, he will be a big success.
Man City’s midfield required a big revamp ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, and Wednesday will give a glimpse of what is to come when the Premier League gets back underway in August.
