Manchester City defender Ko Itakura has admitted he was ‘flabbergasted’ the club were ever interested in him.
Itakura joined Manchester City from Kawasaki Frontale in his native Japan back in January 2019 in a deal worth close to £1m.
He’s yet to make an appearance for City at any level, though, having instead spent the last two years out on loan at FC Groningen in the Netherlands.
He was a regular for them during his time there, making 59 appearances in all competitions before his loan spell came to an end this summer.
That is when he was sent out on another loan deal, this time to Schalke in the Bundesliga, where he has again established himself as a regular this season.
That deal contains an option to make it permanent at the end of the season, something it appears Schalke will take up if he carries on how he’s started at the club.
That would bring about an end to Itakura’s time with Manchester City, something he can’t believe happened in the first place.
“I went to a few tournaments abroad with the Japanese U18 national team, which were also visited by various scouts,” he told their official website when asked how he ended up at the Etihad.
“At one point, City even sent one of their people to Japan to see my games on the ground.
“When the request came, I was quite flabbergasted that such a big club was interested in me. I just had to take that chance.
“Even before I signed for Manchester, there had been talks with FC Groningen, for whom I then played until the summer of 2021. That was no surprise for me.
“I still see this transfer as an important step in my development because that’s how the loan deal with Groningen came about in the first place.
“It gave me the chance to gain a foothold in European sport and to prove myself. The fact that I’m here now, playing for such a fantastic club, is also thanks to the very short interim step in Manchester.”
