A De Bruyne replacement? How Reijnders could fit Man City rebuild

BBC News

2 days ago

The prospective arrival of AC Milan and Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders marks the start of a summer rebuild for Manchester City. Deposed as Premier League champions by Liverpool, City finished third last term and spent much of the second half of the campaign in a five-way fight for a Champions League berth - which was only secured on the final day. A knee injury left them without Ballon d'Or winner and midfield enforcer Rodri for much of 2024-25, while the departure of talisman Kevin de Bruyne, 33, has long been confirmed. It appears to be a changing-of-the-guard moment for City and their manager Pep Guardiola, who spent £180m in the winter transfer window to reinforce his squad. Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri has also been targeted and, with a number of players turning or moving towards the wrong side of 30, there are question marks over the future of about a dozen senior stars at the club - given Guardiola's desire to reduce the size of his squad.But just where will Reijnders fit in? BBC Sport looks at what role the Dutch star could play under Guardiola.
Reijnders to kick-start a Guardiola reconstruction?
Reijnders joins City in a period which feels like a revolution rather than a renewal, and one that may require a revolving door at the Etihad over the next few months. Midfielders Kalvin Phillips, James McAtee and Jack Grealish have all been tipped to leave the club, along with the likes of Kyle Walker.Then you have Ederson, Stefan Ortega, Nathan Ake and John Stones, whose futures have also been the topic of much media speculation. Finding the right time to replace ageing stars like Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and the injured Mateo Kovacic in City's midfield will also surely be in Guardiola's thinking. Despite the £50m acquisition of Nico Gonzalez in February, the lack of running power and physicality in City's engine room was exposed on domestic and European stages as they failed to win a major trophy for the first time in eight years.And Reijnders, who turns 27 in July and is reaching the peak of his powers, is viewed as the man to help alter that dynamic. A powerful box-to-box midfielder, Reijnders ended last season with 10 goals and four assists in Serie A, with only one player in his position, Napoli's Scott McTominay (16), having more goal involvements. His performances were also considered one of the few positives in a disappointing season for Milan, who finished eighth in Serie A and missed out on European qualification.Reijnders was ranked ninth for forward passes in Italy's top flight last term and was fifth for through balls and carrying the ball, which underlines his qualities in progressing play. "He will slot in very well at City, he runs a lot, he's very willing to improve and he will love working with Guardiola," said Italian football journalist Daniele Verri."He improved a lot since his first season at AC Milan."
The man to replace De Bruyne?
While Reijnders has shown he is adept playing at the base of a midfield three or in a double pivot, his versatility makes him an ideal candidate to contribute positively to City's possession-based game.But whether the man who worked at a local supermarket while learning his trade at PEC Zwolle is the heir to De Bruyne remains to be seen. His former boss at AZ Alkmaar, Pascal Jansen, has previously spoken about how he believed Reijnders was better deployed in a central midfield position, rather than a more attacking number 10 role.Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz, who City showed a keen interest in before the German expressed a wish to head to Anfield, would have seemed a more natural successor in style to the Belgian.And City are also being linked with Lyon attacker Rayan Cherki, who would arguably be a better positional match to De Bruyne than Reijnders.De Bruyne averaged more assists, shots on target, created more chances and played considerably more passes into opposition penalty areas per game (11.8 to 3.6) than Reijnders last season.However, since moving to the San Siro in 2023 Reijnders has shown the ability to perform well in different roles under the management of Stefano Pioli, Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao.He flourished when given a license to roam forward, can shoot effectively from distance and is also not afraid to put his foot in and mix it when required - not a quality that De Bruyne is particularly noted for. "He has played in different systems at AC Milan, but in my opinion he's at his best when he doesn't play too far from the opponent's penalty area, because he really has good runs and can enter the area easily," added Verri."City can expect goals, he has a powerful shot from distance. He can take free-kicks too. He seems to be a nice guy, as he was very loved in the dressing room. "He laughs all the time, even when he misses a goal or something."