While Manchester City did not particularly miss Yaya Toure after his departure in 2018 as they had plenty of elite midfielders on their books, they are yet to have a player who profiles similarly to him.
The former Barcelona star was well and truly a unique footballer, blessed with outstanding technical ability, an eye for goal, an expansive passing range and an imposing physical presence as well.
Yaya Toure had a transformative impact during his time at Manchester City. So much so that Joleon Lescott named Toure as his best-ever teammate due to being a one-of-a-kind match-winner.
Alongside the likes of Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, David Silva and Sergio Aguero among other big names, the retired midfielder turned Manchester City into a true footballing powerhouse.
Tijjani Reijnders could be Man City’s next Yaya Toure
However, in Tijjani Reijnders, City may have found the closest thing to Yaya Toure in world football.
Considering the Dutchman has played just four times for Pep Guardiola’s men so far, he still has plenty to prove before being considered on the same level as the three-time Premier League winner.
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When taking into account why Gary Neville believes Reijnders is a special player after breaking down his masterful showing against Wolves, it is easy to see why one would liken his game to that of Yaya Toure.
Tijjani Reijnders reacts after scoring during Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City.
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
“What an outstanding game he had! When you just look at the profile of a player and you think: he scores with his left foot, his pass is with his right foot over the top for Rico Lewis, his running power, forward and back and you start thinking, that looks one hell of a player! There’s very few players you see that can score a goal like that with their left foot, a pass with the right foot, the running power forward and the ability to drive into that space.”
Yaya Toure was a rare breed of number eight who could be classed as a game-changer, much like Reijnders is now as he has the ability to dart past players, eye for a pass, goalscoring instinct and physicality to dominate games.
As Michael Carrick claimed, Reijnders is complete and while the same could be said for Ilkay Gundogan, he is quite diminutive in stature compared to the former — who has the physical frame, speed and defensive awareness to be domineering in the midst of midfield battles.
Tijjani Reijnders has named Man City legend as his idol
Based on his Premier League debut against Wolves, the 27-year-old has the makings of becoming a Manchester City icon like the Champions League winner.
While he might be a similar player to Yaya Toure, it was Kevin De Bruyne who Reijnders idolised.
The former AC Milan midfielder said: “Then when I got older, I looked [up] a lot to Kevin De Bruyne.”
“I watched his games, YouTube clips, especially the way he was scanning the pitch before he gets the ball so he always knows where the space is. I try to do the same.”
Toure and De Bruyne have etched their reputation as all-time greats, and Reijnders would be hoping to do the same.