Hugo Viana has lavished praise on three of Manchester City’s most coveted assets, highlighting the club’s determination to extend key contracts alongside their summer signings.
Jeremy Doku is one of three Manchester City players to have penned new deals till 2031 this summer.
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Much of the focus on Manchester City's summer landed on who came through the door, with a raft of new faces arriving to reshape the squad.
A less-lauded but equally significant factor, though, was the work done to secure the futures of players already on the books - and Viana has now shed light on that side of the club's business.
Discussing a handful of City's most prized assets, Viana spelled out how highly the club rate Jeremy Doku, Josko Gvardiol and Abdukodir Khusanov - all three of whom penned new deals until 2031 in the summer - and why keeping and developing them mattered every bit as much as recruiting fresh faces.
Viana: Jeremy Doku is One of the Best Wingers in the World
Speaking to official club media, Viana reserved some of his warmest words for Doku, who committed his long-term future to City this summer.
“He was really important last season. He made another step in terms of performance, especially in the last six months,” Viana said.
“It's a player that has unique characteristics, especially one against one - he's one of the best wingers in the world now. If we have this kind of player, we should keep him. We are really happy we could reach an agreement with him for five years.”
It is a lofty billing for a winger who has grown into one of the most feared one-on-one threats in the game since arriving from Rennes. In particular, Doku’s sharp upward curve over the past year, in particular with a run of influential goals toward the end of the season, evidently convinced City that tying him to a fresh five-year deal was a priority.
In an era where elite wide players command staggering fees, locking down one already at the club - with plenty of his best football surely still to come - counts as smart business as much as a show of ambition.
Manchester City have welcomed Jeremy Doku to their matchday squad to face Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.cityxtra.co.ukDoku Returns to Man City Matchday Squad for Premier League Fixture vs Sunderland
Manchester City have welcomed Jeremy Doku to their matchday squad to face Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Josko Gvardiol Versatility Earns Viana Praise
Gvardiol, too, has pledged his future to the club, and Viana was clear about the value the Croatian brings to Enzo Maresca's squad.
“We were really confident we were going to reach an agreement because he really wants to stay and be an important player,” he added. “He's doing so well as a centre back and left back and sometimes as a number 10 or midfielder! He's a very versatile player with unbelievable mentality. It's very difficult to find this player around the world."
That adaptability has become one of Gvardiol's defining qualities, with the defender at ease across the back line and even further forward. His stoppage-time winner in the season opener at home to Bournemouth offered the perfect illustration of just how much he can offer at both ends of the pitch.
Faith in Abdukodir Khusanov's Potential
While Doku and Gvardiol are established members of the side, Khusanov represents more of a long-term project - though one City are convinced could reach the very top. Viana was honest that the young Uzbekistan international's development has taken time, yet he could scarcely have set the bar higher.
“We all knew when we brought him about his physicality. But we all believed he could be a really important player. Not so soon, because he was young and had only been in France for a short time,” Viana said. “He's still developing, has to learn and we feel sure he can be one of the best centre backs in the world.”
Signed from Lens in January 2025, Khusanov arrived as a raw but supremely athletic defender whom City identified early in his European career. The belief within the club, judging by Viana's words, is that the very best is still to come.
Taken together, the director of football's comments paint a clear picture of a club that puts just as much stock in a trusted core as its eye-catching new arrivals. City spent heavily to freshen up their squad, but in Doku, Gvardiol and Khusanov, they appear every bit as committed to nurturing the talent already in their ranks.