A departure from Manchester City could be on the cards in January | OneFootball

So far this season Nathan Ake has only made 8 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City. Ake has only played 391 minutes as he has been a squad player for City rather than a first-team regular for Pep Guardiola’s side. Ake’s lack of regular football has put his place in the Dutch international squad in jeopardy. Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman has previously stated that Ake needs to be playing regularly for his club to keep his place in the Dutch national team. Now new comments have emerged from Ronald Koeman that do suggest that the chances that Nathan Ake could leave Manchester City in January are very real.

Ronald Koeman has stated that Nathan Ake is ‘bothered’ by his lack of regular first-team football.

In an interview with Dutch publication De Telegraaf, which was relayed by Sport Witness, Dutch manager Ronald Koeman has stated that Nathan Ake is ‘bothered’ by his lack of regular football at Manchester City this season. Despite this fact, Koeman has still selected him in his squad for his country’s upcoming matches. Speaking on Ake being bothered by his lack of football this season, Koeman said: “Nathan himself is also bothered by the fact that he’s not playing much.”

Ronald Koeman explained that Nathan Ake remains one of his country’s captains, but Koeman can’t guarantee Ake’s place in Holland’s World Cup said. Koeman added: “But he is one of the captains of my team. Moreover, he’s a left-footed defender, while we generally have a lot of right-footed central defenders. He’s an important player for me who has always been there when I needed him. That makes all the difference for me that he’s in the squad.”

“Is he also guaranteed a place in the World Cup next year? That’s still a long way off.”

Nathan Ake may need to leave Manchester City to play regular first-team football.

Ronald Koeman’s latest comments are eyebrow-raising to say the least. If Ake is ‘bothered’ by his lack of regular first-team football at Manchester City this season, a January move away from City may be Ake’s best chance of playing regular first-team football. Manchester City’s defence seems set and Ake seems destined to be a squad player at City this season. With Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol seemingly being City’s first-team first-choice centre-back pairing, and John Stones and Abdukodir Khusanov able to step in when required, Ake’s opportunities at City do look to be limited.

Ronald Koeman’s statement on the situation surrounding Nathan Ake does cast doubt over his future at Manchester City. There is no doubt that Ake will want to play in next year’s World Cup. To do that, a January move for the Dutch international does make sense. The January transfer window is still two months away from opening but Ake’s future is likely to be a topic of interest before the January transfer window opens.