It seems that Manchester City couldn’t have found a more perfect replacement for Kevin de Bruyne.
Manchester City administered the signing by Tijjani Reijnders in a £ 46.3 million from AC Milan.
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Reijnders put a five -year contract on paper on paper -and was signed in time to take part in the upcoming FIFA Club World Championship that begins this weekend.
Reijnders, who was named after the former Ajax Wing player and Nigeria International Tijani Babangida, will try to fill the gaping hole in Pep Guardiola’s squad by leaving de Bruyne, which has passed an emotional farewell last month.
He left City as a club legend, scored 108 goals and supported 177 more.
There were many questions about whether there will ever be another player like de Bruyne in Etihad or even in the entire Premier League as a whole.
Although the success of the Belgians will probably never be repeated, the city may have just found the perfect alternative.
Reijnders revealed in May that he actually adored De Bruyne throughout his career and proves that this step should only be.
When I spoke to The Athletic last month, he said: “When I got older, I looked after [up] Much to Kevin de Bruyne. I saw his games, YouTube clips.
“Especially the way he scans the field before getting the ball so that he always knows where the room is. I try to do the same thing.”
Reijnders, who came from Feyenoord to AC Milan in 2023, was a main support of the team last season and reached a new level and won the series, a midfielder of the year.
The 26-year-old played in a variety of midfield roles and showed his skills for box-to-box, carried the ball forward and arrived in the area, with his technical skills shining.
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In all competitions he scored 15 goals, which was actually the most goals that a midfielder scored in the top-five-league Europe and was sitting in front of Scott Mctominay.
In series A, he completed over 87 percent of his passports throughout the campaign and proves that he also has a complicated side of his game.
The Dutch was also involved in a large number of build -up game for Milan, which was involved in an average of 2.6 participation in open opportunities per game, the joint third in the AC team.
And if you look at the dominance of the city during the games and the ability to pass the ball, move and connect through deep defense, Reijnders should fit in directly.
Ironically, after he had joined a club who was known for the issue of large sums of money, the understanding of the monetary value became the understanding of the money value.
While he was in the books of Zwolle and watched in his senior debut, he was encouraged by his parents to work in the local supermarket.
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“I think his mother saw a job in the Aldi business and then she asked Tijjani to fill out the form,” said Danielle Rijksen, team manager of CSV’28, the Premier League website.
“His parents said: ‘You have to experience what it is like to work for your money. If you make it as a professional player, you shouldn’t take any material things for granted.”
Far from shouting away from his upbringing, Reijnders himself said to the secret No. 2023: “Yes, it’s so funny. I recently noticed an article” From amateur to AC Milan “. But if I think about it, I like” from Aldi to AC Milan even better! “
“I talked to my family about this contrast, and for this reason we came to the conclusion that this time was very good for me at Aldi. I saw both sides of the medal.”
His move to the Premier League could now see how he fulfilled the prediction of the Netherlands and the Milan legend Frank Rijkaard.
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In November, after Milan Real Madrid in Bernabeu had hit the Champions League, the icon of Reijnders spoke and spoke of his great hopes.
Rijkaard said to La Gazzetta Dello Sport: “I hope that Reijnders will be one of the best midfielder in the world. I sincerely believe that he is already on the right track.”
He added: “I really like his style of play. He can cover all roles in midfield and shows his generosity: he never holds back from a run for the team and always gives his best.
“With the quality he has, he is excellent in creating dangerous chances for his teammates and building the piece well.”
So Reijnders seems to be a socket of all shops, which should fit well in Guardiola’s system, in which Rodri welcomes the next campaign again.
With Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic Aging and de Bruyne are a fresher face to join their midfield series.
Nico Gonzalez should be more to be seen next season, but possibly as a second violin to Rodri, with Reijnders further forward.
You may have lost a legend, but you will hope that his replacement, which formulates his game for de Bruyne, can write his own story.