Manuel Akanji
Manuel Akanji of Internazionale during UEFA Champions League match Atletico de Madrid and FC Internazionale Milano in Estadio Metropolitano on November 26, 2025 in Madrid Spain
Sport Witness have regularly covered how Manchester City loanee Manuel Akanji is getting on at Inter Milan.
The Swiss defender has largely been one of the team’s better players, establishing himself as a regular under Cristian Chivu.
This has convinced the Italian media that Inter will land him permanently. Even if they don’t automatically trigger the clause, the Nerazzurri will make attempts to keep him beyond this season.
Things hit rock bottom for the Manchester City player on Tuesday, though.
He was at fault for Bodo/Glimt’s first goal in the second-leg of the Champions League play-offs. This gave the Norwegian side a massive advantage, playing a role in their 5-2 win on aggregate.
Despite how impressive he has generally been, Akanji has now attracted criticism.
How Akanji is being reacted to
Inter Milan’s shock exit from the UEFA competition is being covered all over the Italian media. As often in these situations, it helps to have someone to point the finger at.
Right now, that’s Manuel Akanji.
Corriere dello Sport hand him a rating of only 4/10. He is described as ‘the worst’ player during the tie, even if the error came after he sustained a head injury.
Gazzetta dello Sport do the same, rating him 4.5/10.
It’s all a little unfortunate because the Manchester City player was largely reliable beyond the error. He made multiple recoveries and if anything, the entire Inter team struggled to deal with the opposition’s counter attacks.
Mistake proves costly
Tuttomercatoweb also look at the incident in detail, seeing all of it as irony.
This is because Akanji initially joined Inter because he would play Champions League football. He had gone to the extent of rejecting rivals AC Milan but it was his error that led to Inter’s Champions League knockout.
They also align with Pep Guardiola’s decision to let the defender apart. The Spaniard is hailed for his foresight, even if the Switzerland man has been largely quite effectively.
The outlet are certain that his purchase from Manchester City is not in doubt. His error was certainly avoidable and gifted Bodo/Glimt a historic win but he will be signed permanently.
Manchester City’s manager was at the match, and it’s stated Akanji made a fool of himself ‘right in front of Guardiola’.