Exclusive: Former Manchester City man calls for patience on Abdukodir Khusanov but doubts Nathan Ake future | OneFootball

Danny Mills – the former Manchester City defender – has called for patience around the rise of Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis at the Etihad Stadium.

City’s defensive landscape has been a recurring theme in recent months, with the club working to balance development, long-term succession planning, and immediate demands across competitions.

The emergence of young talents such as Reis – currently on loan at Girona with strong internal backing for a first-team role from 2026 – and Khusanov, who arrived alongside him in January, has added new layers to Pep Guardiola’s rebuild.

Reports emerging from Brazil recently emphasised Reis is viewed as a long-term member of the first-team squad regardless of John Stones’ future, while internal frustrations over Guardiola’s fluctuating defensive structure have resurfaced throughout City’s inconsistent 2024/25 campaign.

Danny Mills’ comments arrive against that backdrop, adding further weight to a growing narrative that City are evolving their next defensive era, and not all established players may be guaranteed a role in it.

Nathan Ake, who has been valued highly by Pep Guardiola in previous seasons, has been unable to secure rhythm. With City fielding fluid, positionally flexible defensive options and utilising players such as Matheus Nunes in makeshift roles, the Dutchman’s identity within the XI appears increasingly undefined.

Speaking exclusively to City Xtra on behalf of online casino BetWright, former Manchester City man Danny Mills spoke of the ongoing struggles experienced by Ake in terms of game time and opportunities this season.

“It’s been difficult because I’m never really sure where his strongest position is. I think this is maybe one of the problems for Manchester City,” said Mills.

The former Etihad Stadium full-back continued, “They have a lot of fluid players that are very, very good in two or three positions, but you don’t nail it down, ‘You’re a left-back, left-sided centre-half’.

“They’ve got one or two, the likes of Rodri, ‘You’re a holding midfield player’, ‘Erling Haaland, you’re a striker’. Apart from that, they’re very, very fluid. He [Ake] is a very, very good player without doubt, he’s been in and out before, it just seems City at the moment are trying to find a formula that works on a consistent basis.”

Mills was further quizzed on what the future holds for both Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, both of whom have struggled to nail down a consistent place in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City plans – albeit early on in their respective Etihad Stadium careers.

“I’d always go with defensive options as experience. When you look at great defences, you go back to [Rio] Ferdinand and [Nemanja] Vidic, [John] Terry and [Ricardo] Carvalho, [Vincent] Kompany – the experience he had in that Manchester City side, even Yaya Toure would drop in and play centre-half,” Mills highlighted.

“I think defensively, experience is absolutely everything, learning that position. Look at Virgil van Dijk – some will say he’s not having the best of seasons but it’s one little blip in a very, very long, established career,” he continued.

“I think your two centre-halves, experience is key; look at John Stones, he just gets better and better. I think all great sides start with a great defence – simple as that. Everyone goes on about scoring, it’s true, but you have to have the best or second best defence in the league to win it.

“That’s what it comes down to. Effectively you have be one or two in terms of scoring, one or two in terms of defensive qualities. So there is time. If you’re a forward, you get afforded a little more of an opportunity and you can make more mistakes.

“As a forward you can have a nine out of 10 game, four out of 10, seven out of 10, six out of 10, given the freedom to have a little inconsistency. As a defender or defensive midfielder, you have to be minimum seven out of 10 every week.

“And that’s difficult for new players and no matter what league, what team, that’s never easy for good young players.”

Looking forward, Pep Guardiola’s long-term structure appears centred around blending experienced profiles like John Stones with emerging modern defenders such as Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov.

The latter remains an unknown quantity at the very top level but is expected to see more minutes as City go deeper into the campaign. With reports earlier in the year suggesting both he and Reis are considered long-term projects, Mills’ call for patience reflects the idea within the clubt hat both players are being developed methodically, and not rushed.

Ultimately, Nathan Ake’s future may hinge on how effectively he re-establishes himself in Guardiola’s fluid defensive setup. Manchester City’s next defensive cycle is already taking shape, and the competition is only intensifying.