Abdukodir Khusanov joined Manchester City from Lens in the January transfer window
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Abdukodir Khusanov
Abdukodir Khusanov has been gifted a Mercedes(Image: PA)
Manchester City star Abdukodir Khusanov had a remarkable surprise on his return to Uzbekistan for this month's international break.
The 21-year-old, who arrived in the capital city Tashkent before visiting family, was given a hero's welcome after becoming the first player from Uzbekistan to sign for a Premier League club. Khusanov was gifted a new Mercedes from Ulugbek Asonboev, the first coach he had during his career in Uzbekistan.
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is valued at around £135,000. The defender looked emotional on camera as he took the car keys. He will now prepare for Uzbekistan's World Cup qualifiers against Kyrgyzstan and Iran on Thursday (March 20) and Tuesday (March 25) next week.
After impressing Pep Guardiola at City, he will be crucial for Uzbekistan's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. In the Premier League, he has made six Premier League appearances since his £34million move to the Etihad in January.
He also scored his first goal in a City shirt in the 2-1 FA Cup fourth round win over Leyton Orient.
"When you talk to him he just laughs, laughs, laughs all the time but he is a reliable player," Guardiola said of Khusanov. "So fast, so quick, quality with passes is extraordinary. He breaks the lines. He has the ability to do it. He has to improve but he’s 20. I’ve seen players with a lot of pace but he is one of them.
"People adore him. He is silent, no complaints and so humble and I’m sure our fans will love him. It’s not easy to overcome after what happened after five minutes against Chelsea but he was calm and he handled it. The games he’s played recently, he’s been really, really good."
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