Tijjani Reijnders to Man City: “Magically gifted footballer” could “without concerns be fashioned” into an “Ilkay Gundogan-esque player”

Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany believes that summer season transfer target Tijjani Reijnders could “easily be shaped” into an “Ilkay Gundogan-esque player” beneath the tutelage of Pep Guardiola.

The 26-year-frail has emerged as a leading target for the Citizens, who’re believed to bear opened membership-to-membership talks with AC Milan and are rapidly anticipated to table an opening uncover.

Reijnders is alleged to bear given the fairway gentle to transfer to the Etihad Stadium this summer season and Man City hope to total a deal, that could ticket around €50m (£41.9m) to €55m (£46.1m), before they begin their FIFA Club World Cup marketing campaign in the heart of next month.

The Netherlands world is believed to be Man City’s top target for the No.8 arrangement, where Citizens legend Gundogan thrived in the top years of his occupation, most notably taking half in in that role for the duration of the membership’s historic treble-a success marketing campaign in 2022-23.

Reijnders elevated his sport to original heights as an all-round midfielder in the 2024-25 marketing campaign and used to be named Serie A Midfielder of the Season after recording 10 targets and five assists in 37 league video games for Milan.

“Gundogan-esque” Reijnders “has a bit of magic to him”

With Gundogan turning 35 in a number of months’ time, McInerney can understand why Man City would target a “magically gifted footballer” delight in Reijnders and hopes that they can get the deal over the line this summer season.

“I think he’s very Gundogan-coded,” McInerney told Sports actions Mole. “You get that identical box-crashing ability. Gundogan [against Fulham last weekend], he’s there, particularly towards the top of the season, he has this uncanny ability to step up. He’s there nearer to the strikers because he has that intuition for targets and Reijnders seems to bear that.

“He also has that identical elegance and that identical upward sprint and moral glides previous americans and has a miniature of magic to him. I believe you ogle at that as a doable Gundogan change, Reijnders.

“It just makes sense profile-wise (to sign Reijnders). He’s definitely the Gundogan replacement for me, because he just can do what Gundogan can. Obviously, Gundogan’s more experienced and so on, but I think he could easily be shaped into a Gundogan-esque player.”

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What are Man City lacking in their midfield?

McInerney has highlighted the “biggest issue” in Man City’s midfield in recent years and has explained what Reijnders would provide to Guardiola’s physique of workers if he bear been to beget the summer season swap to the Etihad.

“My biggest issue with City over the past couple of years has been the slow degradation of elite-level technical quality in Manchester City midfield,” said McInerney.

“I watched Joao Neves, 5ft 7in boss midfields in Europe this season for PSG…or no longer it’s no longer about having these titanic guys, or no longer it’s about having of us that can crawl, however also most importantly who can non-public the ball, because City bear to operate on that degree. Bernardo Silva doesn’t bear to be huge, he moral had to bear the coronary heart, the work price and he had to bear the technical ability.

“I ogle around at City’s midfield and we signed [Matheus] Nunes, we signed Kalvin Phillips, they moral weren’t appropriate sufficient technically. They did now not bear the composure, the spatial awareness. We signed [Mateo] Kovacic as smartly, he’s grand better than those two in midfield, however I would argue even then Kovacic has been a miniature step down over the majesty or the brilliance, the elegance of David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, or the brute power, technical brilliance of a Kevin De Bruyne.

“It’s been a slow degradation of City’s ability to sort of keep the ball, control teams and unpick the lock delicately. As much as Kovacic is a great player and as much as we’ve seen City still win leagues, “I believe we bear been leaning on Bernardo Silva who’s purchased older, Kevin De Bruyne who’s purchased older, and I believe the standards bear dropped a miniature of bit in midfield.

“Now we bear tried americans delight in Nunes, Kovacic and Phillips. It moral hasn’t worked, and Gundogan isn’t any longer as appropriate as he used to be two years prior to now. Bernardo Silva isn’t any longer as appropriate as two years prior to now, so their levels bear dipped a miniature of bit.

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Man City-linked Reijnders labelled a “young Gundogan”

“Reijnders, coming chubby circle, is a younger Gundogan. A magically gifted footballer. Maybe he hasn’t rather purchased the laborious-working ability but, however I’m obvious Guardiola will put that into him because Gundogan wasn’t that in the beginning, Bernardo Silva became some distance more of a relentless runner when he joined City.

“But most importantly, he can do the ‘thousand million passes’ (that Guardiola wants), he’s wonderful in possession, he can score goals as well, he scores loads of goals. He can get the ball, pirouette past two people, then plays a dinked little through-ball into channels to put someone through on goal, and just a moment of magic out of nowhere with a beautifully-weighted pass – that is the level of quality you need.”

McInerney persisted: “City bear to be taking the best midfielders from one of the precious best leagues. We did it with Rodri. Rodri used to be no doubt one of the most best central midfielders in La Liga, he used to be cracking for Atletico before we signed him and he’s developed into a Ballon d’Or a success degree player.

“I’m no longer saying Reijnders will glean the Ballon d’Or, however I’m saying he is it sounds as if the best midfielder in Serie A, in accordance to their rewards, so that’s the degree it has to be. It can’t continuously be projects. Veritably you could bear purchased to exit and get a top quality player, and this man has it all.

“Technically unbelievable, a gigantic goalscorer, loves to shoot from lengthy range, we bear no longer had sufficient of that with Rodri no longer there, [Phil] Foden out of produce, De Bruyne no longer pulling the attach off as grand, we bear missed a totally different manner to get at teams.

“Reijnders wants to score goals, Rodri wants to score goals, those two back into the team do. If you get [Morgan] Gibbs-White, he wants to shoot from long range, too. It’s just different ways to play with people who are very comfortable in tight spaces. I’d be buzzing if he signs, I think he’d be a massive step up in City’s midfield.”

Press play on the video at the top of this text to hear the chubby dialogue.

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