Tijjani Reijnders: What £46.5m Star Brings To Manchester City

Manchester City completed the signing of AC Milan star Tijjani Reijnders earlier this week ahead of the Club World Cup. After a season of struggles for Pep Guardiola’s side, there will be high expectations on the Dutchman to deliver.

How £46.5m Signing will Improve Manchester City

Tijjani Reijnders’ Playing Style

The 26-year-old spent the early years of his career playing for numerous sides, including Ajax and AZ Alkmaar. From there, he made his move to AC Milan, who were coming off the back of an unsuccessful Scudetto defence. In his two years with the Rossoneri, he played over 100 games and scored twenty times. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that this profile intrigued Guardiola.

When looking at the Dutchman’s style, his array of skills stands out. His ball-carrying abilities are always prominent. Just last season alone in the Serie A, he completed 3.19 progressive carries per 90, which put him in the top one percentile. This asset was key within the underperforming Milan side, and shows his real qualities in progression.

Alongside this, Reijnders is also incredibly valuable due to his passing abilities. This is because he breaks lines by finding players making penetrating runs toward the box. This asset has shown to be useful, as he broke the opposition’s defensive lines on 47 occasions last season.

Furthermore, he is an effective player from all areas of the pitch. For example, he can dictate the tempo through his carrying or short passes, whilst also being able to take the ball off his goalkeeper. Then, in more advanced areas, he is also able to change games. His off-the-ball movement was exceptional, allowing for piercing late runs into the box. This played a major role in his tally of 10 league goals last season, a number surpassed by one other midfielder, Napoli’s Scott McTominay.

How Reijnders Could Suit Manchester City

A major hole will be left in Guardiola’s midfield following the exit of club legend Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian registered over 20 assists in four different seasons during his stay in Manchester, which highlights his importance. However, Reijnders could make up for some of these losses.

In terms of comparisons to Manchester City’s current players, he is more of a mix of Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gündoğan. First of all, as mentioned previously, he can drop deep in build-up and receive the ball from his goalkeeper. In addition, when compared to Prime Gundogan in City’s sides around 2020, his numbers also translate well.

Despite this, defensively, he is much less accomplished, especially considering he has played in a double pivot for most of last season. However, with Rodri or Nico Gonzalez, this flaw may be less exposed.

Therefore, when looking at what Reijnders excels in, it is much more translatable to their current midfield. For example, his movement is quite similar, especially when compared to Gundogan, who also arrives late in the area. The German’s 17 goals in the 2020/21 season, highlight his ability to do this.

Overall, Reijnders is a profile that would clearly suit Manchester City. His ball-carrying, ability to break lines, and confidence in tight spaces all suggest this. Whilst his defensive liabilities could be seen as an issue, what he offers going forward is likely to outweigh them. As a result, more will be revealed over the Club World Cup on Reijnders at his new club, but it looks to be another terrific signing.