Reijnders doesn’t replace De Bruyne at City: “I play my own style”

BOCA RATON, Florida – Tijjani Reijnders, the new signing of Manchester City, has made it clear that he is not arriving to replace Kevin De Bruyne, despite the fact that the Belgian midfielder is one of his idols. Reijnders joins City after a £46.5 million (63.07 million dollars) deal from Milan, just as De Bruyne ended his ten-year spell at the club to sign for Napoli. The international Dutchman has acknowledged that he is inspired by the playing style of the City legend, as well as the former Barcelona and Spanish national team player, Andrés Iniesta. However, Reijnders assures that he will seek to forge his own path at the Etihad Stadium. I’m not here to replace him [De Bruyne].

Reijnders explained: “I have to play my own game, but I take things from different players and what they do really well, and I try to adapt it. With Kevin De Bruyne, [I looked at] how he scanned the field, the passes he made.” De Bruyne shone under Pep Guardiola’s management and was twice named the best player in the Premier League. Reijnders arrives at City after being recognized as the best midfielder in Serie A, and the 26-year-old player hopes to reach a new level under the tutelage of his new coach.

That’s also something important, of course, the best coach in the world.

Tijjani Reijnders

“I’m really looking forward to learning new things here and the style of play, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.” Like Reijnders, left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri has also joined City and is part of the squad for the Club World Cup. The 24-year-old player, who arrives from Wolves, could debut in the first match against Wydad AC of Morocco in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

It’s a big step.

Rayan Aït-Nouri

“A big step for my career. I’ve been in the Premier League for a long time, I played for five years. The league is very tough. They have a lot of very good teams. But yes, the step up is definitely higher. I will try to give my best.”