Ralf Rangnick has said that he has been surprised to see how brilliant Manuel Akanji has been since joining Manchester City compared to his time at Borussia Dortmund.
The Swiss international was a polarising figure in Germany, as while his ball-playing ability was highly-rated, his defensive nous was always called into question.
However, Ralf Rangnick has praised Manuel Akanji, branded as a ‘brick’ by Nathan Ake for how he has settled into life in a Manchester City shirt.
Rangnick raved about Akanji at Manchester City
While the former Basel defender’s signing raised eyebrows, he has managed to cement his place as a starter in the City side.
Whether that is as a centre-back, in a right-back role such as against Bayern Munich or as a left-back against Arsenal, it seems like Pep Guardiola has full faith in his versatility.
Ralf Rangnick has admitted that he has been taken aback by how Manuel Akanji has fit like a glove at Manchester City this season.
“You can hardly recognise him compared to his time at Borussia Dortmund. [He] performs with a naturalness, as if he had always played at this level in a team like this”, he said, as relayed by Blick.
“[This happens when Pep Guardiola] is so convinced of a player, has fallen in love with a player, works and talks with him so much, develops him. It was like with Joshua Kimmich, who Pep fell in love with in Munich.”
MCN View: Akanji continues to be criminally underrated
In some ways, Ralf Rangnick does make an intelligent point, as it seems like due to Manuel Akanji being error-prone at times during his spell at Borussia Dortmund, many have been reluctant to laud him at Manchester City.
Barring a select few ropey moments, Akanji has been faultless defensively and is perhaps the third best ball-playing central defender at the club behind John Stones and Aymeric Laporte.
The 27-year-old is going on to become a fan favourite at the Etihad Stadium and as he continues to impress, his critics are likely to become his biggest fans.
