A Manchester City defender could face a tough decision with a World Cup on the horizon | OneFootball

The 2026 World Cup will take place in the United States next summer. A host of Manchester City players will participate in the tournament for their countries. But there is another variable in that particular equation. Players at City who aren’t playing regularly risk missing out on selection in their country’s World Cup squad. One such player who could be in that boat is Manchester City defender Nathan Ake. Although Ronald Koeman selected him for Holland’s upcoming matches, the Dutch manager has warned that Ake must play regularly to maintain his place in the Dutch international squad. Perhaps Nathan Ake may have a tough decision to make in January.

Ronald Koeman has warned that Nathan Ake needs to play regular football to remain in the Dutch setup.

In quotes relayed in Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Dutch manager Ronald Koeman has spoken about what Nathan Ake needs to do to keep his place in Koeman’s squad. The Dutch manager warned that Ake needs to be playing regular football. Speaking on Nathan Ake and his lack of first-team football this season, Koeman explained: ” We’ve talked about it. Something has to change. You can’t hardly play and still be part of a national team. Match practice is part of that.”

Nathan Ake may have to leave Manchester City to go to the 2026 World Cup.

As a player, Nathan Ake has always been a valuable squad player in the Manchester City squad. His versatility to play at centre-back or at left-back has been invaluable to Pep Guardiola. At his best, Ake is a player who could always be trusted to do a job for his team. Last season, he suffered from various injuries, which saw him miss large chunks of the season. So far this season, Ake has only made six appearances for Manchester City. The majority of those have come as a substitute. Whether or not Ake is being eased into the 25/26 season after the injury issues he battled last season remains to be seen.

The impediment for Ake being a regular first-team player for Manchester City is the competition he faces. At centre-back, it seems that Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias are Pep Guardiola’s preferred centre-back pairing. That leaves Ake, John Stones and Abdukodir Khusanov as the other centre-backs in the City squad. Ake can also play at left-back, but Nico O’Reilly and Rayan Ait-Nouri seem to be Manchester City’s two preferred options for that position. Perhaps Nathan Ake’s role in Pep Guardiola’s squad is that of a squad player this season.

If Ake remains a squad player at Manchester City, his place in the Dutch squad may be at risk. Ronald Koeman has said as much. If that is the case, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ake seek a January move to play regular first-team football. January is a while off yet but that possibility seems to now be in play based on Ronald Koeman’s warning.