Hugo Viana has admitted that Manchester City currently have a player that every club would like to have in their squad.
The Portuguese director had a busy summer at the Etihad Stadium as Man City’s new director of football was tasked with improving Pep Guardiola’s squad for the 2025/26 campaign following a very underwhelming season last time around.
The Man City boss wanted four to five new faces before the summer transfer window opened, and the legendary coach got that and more.
Now that all of Man City’s summer business has been completed, Viana has admitted that there is one star he thinks every Premier League club wants to have as part of their team.
Tijjani Reijnders in action for Manchester City at the FIFA Club World Cup.
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Hugo Viana thinks Tijjani Reijnders will be a key player for Man City’s future
Premier League clubs could not believe Man City signed Reijnders for just £45m this summer, as the Dutch star has shown during the opening phase of his career in Manchester that he is set to be a key player for Guardiola.
Viana is very happy with the signing of the 27-year-old and has now admitted that he believes the Netherlands international is a player every team in the Premier League would love to have.
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“I think Tijjani [Reijnders] is the type of midfielder that every team would like to have,” Viana told mancity.com. “He is a top worker, really committed, and he has goals [in his game], and last season with Milan, he was unbelievable.
“We knew from the beginning he was our first target – Manchester City in the past have had great midfielders like Gundo and Kevin.
“They were doing really well, but unfortunately, they left. They are still club legends, but it is not easy to replace them. I think Tijjani will be a really important player for the club for the next years.”
The former Milan star has impressed so far since moving to the Etihad Stadium, but Reijnders has admitted that he has not reached his best level yet, which is scary for the rest of England’s top flight.
Rayan Cherki looking frustrated during Manchester City v Tottenham.
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Rayan Cherki has to improve at Man City
Unlike Reijnders, Cherki’s start to life at Man City has not gone to plan, as the French star struggled against Tottenham before picking up a thigh injury that has ruled the midfielder out until November.
Despite this, Viana is still excited by the signing of the 22-year-old, with the Portuguese director admitting that the new City star will need to show improvement over the current campaign.
“Cherki is young, he is a really good talent. He has to improve, and he will improve for sure,” Viana said. “He comes from France, from Lyon, and it’s not the same to play for Manchester City in the Premier League, which is really demanding.
“This season will be really important for his development, but he’s young and we really look positively on his development for the next years.”