Khusanov is the best transfer – Guardiola

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has praised defender Abdukodir Khusanov’s performances, describing the Uzbek footballer as one of the club’s most successful transfers. The club’s press service reported the remarks.

“Khusanov is the best transfer. Before coming here, he played at the highest level in France for five months. Adapting to a new team was not easy for Abdukodir, but he is a special player,” Guardiola said.

The Spanish coach highlighted Khusanov’s importance to the team’s style of play:

“We play with a very high defensive line, and Khusanov is handling this task exceptionally well. He brings great value to the team. Abdukodir still needs to gradually improve his ability on the ball. He is very young and continues to learn. He approaches training seriously and is always 100 percent prepared. Although Khusanov is already quick, he is becoming even faster in his movements. Most importantly, he is very reliable,” Guardiola added.

According to Guardiola, the club made the right decision in signing Khusanov:

“I said this last year as well: if Khusanov were placed on the transfer market now, dozens of top clubs would try to sign him, because he has rare qualities for a defender. He has learned to communicate well enough in English and absorbs everything quickly. We constantly encourage him, and I can say that he is an even better footballer than he himself realizes,” Guardiola said.

It is worth noting that earlier Abdukodir Khusanov was named man of the match in the English League Cup semi-final clash between Newcastle and Manchester City.