The wave of renewal at Manchester City began practically on January 20, 2025, with the arrival of Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens, and continues to accelerate. Now, the effectiveness of this process largely depends on the Uzbek defender's performance and health.
It's no secret that after Kyle Walker left, a gap appeared in the Citizens' most vulnerable link - the right-wing defense. Rico Lewis, who was expected to replace him, and midfielder Mateusz Nunes failed to inspire sufficient confidence in this position, resulting in points being lost in crucial matches. Since Pep Guardiola didn't make a special transfer this summer, he was forced to test his internal resources and moved Khusanov, who is naturally a central defender, to the right wing.
This step proved successful: our 21-year-old legionnaire "locked" the right wing in four consecutive matches, leaving a pleasant impression on both the coaching staff and the fans with his quick reaction and positional play. Khusanov's chances here are also logical: in the center, there is great competition with John Stones, Ruben Dias, Yoshko Guardiol, and Nathan Ake, and on the right, his defensive superiority is more noticeable than Lewis and Nunes.
Unfortunately, the injury sustained in the match against Arsenal slowed the pace. Against the backdrop of the fact that rehabilitation is needed for more than two weeks, as predicted in the first forecasts, the issue of the right wing has returned to the agenda. According to the Daily Mail's chief correspondent, Jack Gogan, "City" will decide whether to acquire a right-back in the winter depending on Khusanov's return and form: if he continues to play at a high level after the FIFA days - he will not enter the market in January; otherwise, a targeted transfer will be made for the right wing.
That is, Abdukodir has a real opportunity to strengthen his role in the starting lineup. Guardiola has already shown his readiness to provide him with regular playing time until the end of the season - the only requirement from our player is to repeat the consistent play of the last four matches.
Manchester City's next match will be against Everton at the Olympic Stadium on October 18th. Khusanov is expected to return to full action before this match. If he demonstrates his characteristic endurance and discipline again, he will make appropriate adjustments to the club's winter transfer plan "from the right."
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