Manchester City insider provides Abdukodir Khusanov future update after position preference comments | OneFootball

A wide-ranging report has revealed whether Abdukodir Khusanov can expect to play a major role for Manchester City next season.

The 21-year-old has impressed under Pep Guardiola since joining from RC Lens for £33.5 million in January 2025 in the wake of a defensive crisis, having made 32 appearances in all competitions for the Blues in his first 12 months at the Etihad Stadium.

Khusanov made a horror start on his full debut for Manchester City in a 3-1 win over Chelsea, making an error less than three minutes into his first start just days after flying to England to allow Noni Madueke to give the west Londoners an early lead.

The Uzbekistan international’s display improved as the first-half went on but Khusanov was taken off for John Stones after 54 minutes, though he has since turned the ship around and gone above and beyond to establish himself as a very capable and reliable deputy to the likes of Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol in defence.

Khusanov had played 1,589 minutes for Manchester City this season as the Blues vie for silverware on four fronts in the second half of the campaign, having progressed to the Carabao Cup final, FA Cup fifth round and the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.

While he is not first choice as of yet for Guardiola, John Stones’ injury-ravaged season has allowed Khusanov to pick up minutes in central defence as well as full-back now and again, though Matheus Nunes seems to have made the right-back position his own this term.

City endured another personnel crisis in defence this January, with Gvardiol and Dias going off with injury in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea to force club officials to recall academy graduate Max Alleyne from loan at Watford and close a £20 million deal to bring Marc Guehi in from Crystal Palace.

Ruben Dias made his first start for Manchester City since January in a 3-0 Premier League win over Fulham last week, with Stones also returning to the starting XI in a 2-0 FA Cup triumph over Salford City at the weekend.

Stones is expected to leave Manchester City when his contract expires in June, with Nathan Ake also facing an uncertain future with just over a year left on his own deal. Alleyne is expected to stay put and be integrated fully into the first-team setup next season.

City will be well-stocked in defence come the end of the season and it is worth asking where Khusanov will rank in Guardiola’s pecking order when the Catalan would also have all of Dias, Gvardiol, Stones, Ake and Alleyne at his disposal.

Khusanov has made it clear he prefers to play in central defence over right-back and despite the competition for places at the back, Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News has noted that the Uzbek star can expect to play a key role and gain enough minutes in his preferred position as Manchester City compete on all fronts again next season.

Guardiola has waxed lyrical of Khusanov’s adaptation of life in England in recent months and the Manchester City manager will no doubt look to lean on the assured central Asian star in the run-in, now that Dias and Stones have returned to action.