Signing for Manchester City this summer, Manuel Akanji got the big transfer he was looking for one year from the end of his Borussia Dortmund contract.
The defender was approached four days before the end of the transfer window, with everything happening very quickly, eventually putting pen to paper for a long-term contract at the Etihad.
All this, if you know his history, might seem strange, seeing as he has been a Manchester United fan since being a kid, although he feels that is no longer the case.
Asked by Blick about the time he said Manchester United were his favourite club and that he would like to play there one day, he tried to clarify the situation.
The question was: “We have to talk about one sentence. You once said: “My favourite club has been Manchester United since I was a child. I would like to play there one day.” Do you regret these statements?”
Asked to expand more on that last bit, he added: “In this context, I was also asked what my goal was. I said I would eventually play for the best club in the world. From this it was concluded that I consider Manchester United to be the best club in the world and that I really wanted to play for Manchester United one day, which I never said.”
The Manchester City defender was then asked when he stopped being a supporter of the Red Devils, which he said happened when he faced them as an FC Basel player in the Champions League, at which point ‘idols became rivals’.
That’s when he says he stopped being a fan, as he solely wanted to focus on his job, which was to eventually ‘beat teams like Manchester United’.
Manchester City have yet to face the Red Devils in the Premier League, but when they do, it will be a special occasion for many around, as Erik ten Hag’s side have been in fine form of late domestically, while Pep Guardiola’s men currently sit top of the table.
As for Akanji, he’ll just want to beat Manchester United, it seems.
