**Pep Guardiola has issued yet more praise on the performances and future prospects of Abdukodir Khusanov following recent showings for the club.**
Khusanov has played regularly in defence for Manchester City since Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias went off against Chelsea with respective injuries earlier this month, forcing the club to recall academy graduate Max Alleyne from loan at Watford midway through the season.
City returned to winning ways at the weekend courtesy of a 2-0 win over Wolves and the Blues will want to make a strong finish to the month after a sluggish start to 2026 that has seen them win just thrice in their last eight games in all competitions.
The signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace has alleviated Guardiola’s personnel problems in defence, with the 25-year-old England international partnering Khusanov on his Manchester City debut at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking in a recent media conference, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was quizzed on his thoughts on Khusanov and how the Uzbekistan international has fared in his first 12 months in England since joining from RC Lens in January 2025.
“Just read the media, how they praised Khusanov! They’re right! He’s top! We don’t have complaints. We’re really pleased,” Guardiola said earlier this month.
Khusanov has needed to be patient for minutes this season, with Dias and Gvardiol regularly forming the heart of Guardiola’s backline in the first half of the campaign.
Guardiola added: “Especially he’s top because after Arsenal (in September 2025), a month without playing, and you cannot imagine how he behaved in training, locker room – that defines Khusanov.
“I’m pretty sure his education from mum and dad, Uzbekistan, a few months in France, after he came here, immediately to Man City in the Premier League and it’s not easy this change! But he listened, he learned, and of course his condition is exceptional.
“The club will have a central defender for many, many years, and at a top, top level. What he will become? It depends on him, nothing else.”
Khusanov’s versatility in operating at right-back, in addition to centre-half, is a trait that has already been utilised by Guardiola and as Manchester City vie for silverware on four fronts in the second half of the season, the 21-year-old has a huge part to play in how the Blues fare in the coming months.
After leading his side to a much-needed clean sheet against Wolves, Khusanov is expected to retain his starting place in a monumental UEFA Champions League group-stage clash against Galatasaray at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.