Swiss international Manuel Akanji is now listed in the Man City books, but the defender has previously admitted to being a lively supporter of the Red Devils.
What did Manuel Akanji say?
Manuel Akanji completed a £15m transfer of the day to the Etihad Stadium from Borussia Dortmund, tying him to the reigning Premier League champions. The Swiss defender insists there is no split of loyalty on his part, but wants to point out that he no longer pledges any loyalty to arch rivals at Old Trafford.
The Swiss defender said: “I said that I was a Man Utd fan, but when you reach a certain level as a player, you are no longer a fan because you play against such clubs and do not support this club like you do.” According to Manuel Akanji, he was also asked at the time what his goal was. Manuel said that in the end he will play for the best club in the world. It was inferred from this that he considered Man Utd to be the best club in the world and very much wanted to play for them one day, which he never said.
Manuel Akanji says that when he joined FC Basel he played in the Champions League against Man Utd as well. When the idols became rivals, Akanji got to the point where he stopped being a fan and wanted to do his job well enough to beat teams like Man Utd.
A little about Manuel Akanji
The Swiss defender made his debut for the Citizens in the 4-0 Champions League win over Sevilla and is now fully committed to Chelsea’s cause.
Manuel Akanji could get an opportunity to line up against Manchester United in the coming weeks, with Manchester City due to take on a derby date with their fiercest enemies on 2 October.
The Citizens will return to European action on Wednesday when they host Manuel’s former employers in Dortmund.