Pep Guardiola praises a young centre-back who could grow into a special player for Manchester City | OneFootball

Although this season has been a battle for Pep Guardiola and his team there have been positives to emerge from the 24/25 season for Manchester City. One of those has been the form of all four of City’s January transfer window signings. Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico, Omar Marmoush and Vitor Reis have all shown flashes of quality. In the case of Khusanov, he has arguably been the most impressive of City’s January signings.

After a tough debut against Chelsea, Abdukodir Khusanov has gone from strength to strength as a Manchester City player. He has made 8 appearances for City since arriving at the club from RC Lens. In those appearances, the strongest attributes of Khusanov’s game have risen to the fore. His pace and strength do stand out in his play. The Uzbekistan international more than held his own physically against the strength of Chris Wood during City’s 1-nil defeat to Nottingham Forest at the beginning of March. His strength and timing in a challenge has also been a stand-out feature during all of his appearances for Manchester City. He has also shown that he has the makings of a ball-playing centre-back as his passing ability continues to improve and evolve. Based on the start to his career at the Etihad the early signs are that Manchester City have signed a player who could develop into a special player for the club.

Pep Guardiola praises the special qualities that Abdukodir Khusanov possesses.

Speaking ahead of Manchester City’s FA Cup quarter-final tie against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium Pep Guardiola praised the Uzbekistan international. The City manager said that Abdukodir Khusanov had special qualities that have risen to the fore since he arrived at the club. Speaking on Khusanov, Guardiola said: “He [Khusanov] was not expected to play this many games. But the situation in the back four all season means he plays a lot of games. He has a special quality. Really special. He’s so fast and he brings his passion.”

“His face doesn’t always show but he shows it in many actions. We are delighted in the short time with training, with many things.”

Outside of his tremendous physical attributes, there is a mental strength in Abdukodir Khusanov that does shine through. It takes a tremendous amount of mental fortitude and strength for a 20-year-old defender to overcome an error in his debut against Chelsea. That has shone through as Khusanov has established himself in the Manchester City first team. That mental strength has the potential to carry the young centre-back through his career. When you couple it with his technical ability you can see that the potential is there for Abdukodir Khusanov to develop into a special player.

All indications are that Abdukodir Khusanov could develop into a special player for Manchester City. He has the necessary physical, tactical and mental attributes to become a top defender for seasons to come. Pep Guardiola pointed out that Khusanov’s special quality has helped him settle in at the club. That quality could further develop in time and that’s an exciting proposition to consider for everyone associated with Manchester City.