One of Manchester City’s loanees has scored for his country and delivered a solid display that led to him being deemed ‘the pillar of defence’.
With the international break in full swing, Manchester City have seen the majority of their players head out to represent their respective countries.
The September break comes immediately after the summer transfer window, one in which City were busy right until the end.
Now, one of the players City loaned out late on in the window – much to some fans’ dismay – has shone on his first outing since his move.
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Manuel Akanji of Switzerland celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier match between Switzerland and Kosovo at St Jacob Park on September 5, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.
Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
Manuel Akanji scores and impresses for Switzerland against Kosovo
On transfer deadline day, Man City opted to let Manuel Akanji link up with Inter Milan on an initial loan deal.
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With Pep Guardiola already boasting a multitude of centre-backs at City, he couldn’t guarantee Akanji a decent amount of game time.
And so, Inter snapped Akanji up on loan with an option to buy that could become mandatory if certain targets are met.
Akanji’s first outing since his move was the World Cup qualifier between Switzerland and Kosovo, in which he opened the scoring.
The 30-year-old broke free from his marker during a corner kick and headed in a simple goal to make it 1-0 to the Swiss.
It finished 4-0 in the end and Akanji was also praised by the Swiss media for his defensive efforts.
“The pillar of defence, does not hesitate to defend forward and play high,” wrote Blick. “He breaks the deadlock at 1-0.”
Meanwhile, Le Matin wrote: “First match of the season, and first goal.
“He leads the way for the Swiss team. And he’s calm in a match that the national team controlled. So he was also somewhat comfortable in the build-up.”
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🚨⚫️🔵 Manuel Akanji from Man City to Inter deal details.
◉ €2m loan fee and part of salary coverage.
◉ €15m buy option clause.
◉ Buy clause becomes mandatory if Akanji plays at least 50% of games and if Inter win the Serie A this season. pic.twitter.com/Xm7qVdXLM8
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2025
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Whether Manchester City will go up against Manuel Akanji this season
Man City are set for several reunions this season, with Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane and Yan Couto all set to face their former club.
Claudio Echeverri is also expected to be in Bayer Leverkusen’s matchday squad against Man City if fit, as loanees are not banned from playing against their parent club in Europe.
City and Inter Milan, the two teams that contested the 2023 Champions League final, are both in this year’s competition.
They have not been drawn against one another in the group stage, but should both go through to the next stage, or find themselves involved in a playoff, then they could meet.
And in that case, Akanji would be eligible to face his parent club, as European football rules stipulate that no player should be banned from doing so as is the case in the Premier League.