Tijjani Reijnders has a greeting in the Premier League could not be better, helping Man City somewhat forget the departure of conductor Kevin de Bruyne.
The Belgian left Man City in the summer and his contributions will never be forgotten, but the fans of the Etihad team may have had a new hero to admire: Tijjani Reijnders.
The 27 -year -old Netherlands has a good performance, contributing a goal and an assist, helping Man City to prove that they are really serious in the battle to return to the throne when defeating Wolves at Molineux.
Reijnders is Man City's second player to score and assist in the Premier League debut, after Sergio Aguero, and if he achieved even half of what the Argentine striker did, he would be a solid success for the club.
“This is a great start,” Reijnders told the BBC Match of the Day. “I am happy with a tectonic phase, a goal and an impressive victory of the team. This is a great start and we have to continue moving forward.”
Coach Pep Guardiola commented on Reijnders' performance: “It is really good. Reijnders is a lovely guy and has made an impression from the first day. With his speed, he can support midfield.”
“He can run into the gaps and sometimes create the gaps we allow the defender to create. In Milan, he has excellent and appeared in the national team. We know he will be the top contract for Man City in the coming years,” the Spanish strategist added.
The former England striker, Alan Shearer, shared with the BBC Match of the Day: “Reijnders excellent, it is almost a perfect performance. It is unbelievable. He controls the match at his speed. Reijnders is really a nightmare when he has to confront because he always moves. With him “.
Joining Man City for a fee of £ 42.5 million, Reijnders showed his ability at FIFA Club World Cup and the performance in the English Premier League last night also showed his fans what he could expect this season.
Reijnders said: “I have witnessed the intensity of the competition and it is really difficult, but it is great to play in the Premier League and scoring in the debut is always great. I always try to find space in the penalty area and support assist. My gameplay is playing box-to-box and helping the team to score as well as tectonic.”
In addition to the ability to move and finish excellent, there are also initial signs that the understanding being built between Reijnders and star striker Erling Haaland when his pass creates conditions for the Norwegian player to complete the double.
In addition to the contributions to the goal, Reijnders's outstanding performance was also emphasized by the fact that he touched the ball 82 times and completed 52 of 57 passes. Reijnders also completed 22 passes in the last third part – the second most in the Man City team after Nico Gonzalez (24).
Who is Reijnders?
As a powerful box-to-box midfielder, Reijnders made his debut for the Dutch PEC Zwolle club in 2017 before joining AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch league in early 2018. The yard, helped him move to Milan in 2023.
Reijnders ended last season with 10 goals and 4 assists for Rossoneri, of which only one player was in his position, Scott McTominay (16) of Napoli, scored more goals. His great performance was one of the few positive points in a disappointing campaign of Milan, the team only reached the 8th place in Serie A and absolutely no capacity to attend the European Cup.
The 4 assists of Reijnders are probably the unfair reflection of his influence in the opponent's yard. He was ranked 9th in the number of passes forward at the top Italian tournament last season, and ranked fifth in terms of cross -route passes and the ability to hold the ball. He also ranked seventh in the number of times running with more than 10 meters in Serie A last season, a property that could play an important role in Guardiola's transition game.
Reijnders had 23 caps of the Dutch team, kicking all 6 matches for his country in Euro 2024 in Germany last year.
