Tijjani Reijnders ‘can be very important' for Man City
Reijnders joined City from AC Milan last week in a deal worth an initial £46.5million as part of Pep Guardiola's rebuild in response to their disappointing 2024-25 season.
The 26-year-old made an impressive debut, playing the full game, as City began their challenge at the Club World Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Ake has played alongside Reijnders for the Netherlands (Nick Potts/PA)
Central defender Ake said: 'I know him really well and I think he can be very important.
'I think from the first week in training, you could see that he fits in really well and you can see the quality he has.
'He can play in different positions, he can get into the box, he can keep the ball going and moving forward. He has great quality and there's so much more to come.
'He did really well. It was tough circumstances but he kept the ball really well, kept us moving and offensively he was very good.'
Ake played 90 minutes himself for the first time since January as City saw off their Moroccan opponents in their Group G opener with first-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku.
His past season was a frustrating one as he made just 18 appearances in all competitions due to fitness problems.
Kicking off our #FIFACWC campaign with three points 🙌🩵
Highlights ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/qoKMA6SYhk
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 18, 2025
The 30-year-old said: 'It was very tough. I basically always tried to push, tried to come back as quick as possible but then I got injured again and mentally it can be tough.
'It's never easy but luckily that's done now and hopefully now I can stay fit and keep performing.
'I feel good. I had my first 60 (minutes) with the national team and this was my first 90 in a little while.
'Obviously (I hope there is) more to come but this game was important in the group and it's a good start for me.'
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