Recently, in an interview with Camel Live, Manchester City star Tijjani Reijnders talked about several topics regarding himself. The Dutch midfielder insisted that he is “not the new De Bruyne”.
The 27-year-old joined Manchester City from AC Milan last summer for a fixed transfer fee of £46 million, making 27 appearances this season with 3 goals and 6 assists to his name. This versatile midfielder has been compared to Manchester City’s 34-year-old legendary playmaker Kevin De Bruyne since the early days of his spell at the Etihad Stadium.
Although the Dutch international admitted that this is “a huge compliment”, he insisted that his playing style is different from that of the Belgian star, who ended his glorious ten-year career at the Citizens last summer. Reijnders revealed that the club made it clear to him at the beginning of his arrival that they did not expect him to fill the huge void left by the Belgian international.
The Dutch player maintained that he is an “all-round midfielder”, and is better suited to the No.8 position than the No.10 role occupied by the Manchester City legend. Reijnders told Camel Live, “Right after my debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers, analysts started comparing me to De Bruyne. Obviously, this is a huge compliment, but my role is different, and my characteristics are different too.”
“Manchester City told me from the very start, and I’ve said it many times myself: I’m not the new De Bruyne. I’m an all-round midfielder, but I mainly see myself as a No.8—a box-to-box midfielder who operates between defense and attack. I like to get involved in both build-up play and the final offensive phase.”
“I often find myself in goalscoring positions, and that’s my biggest strength. Usually, I get at least two big chances per game. Although my goalscoring efficiency is not as good as it was during my time at AC Milan, I always find myself in the right place. This is just the beginning, and I believe the goals will come again.”
