The growth of a Manchester City defender is accelerating with every match | OneFootball

The rise of Abdukodir Khusanov in 2026 has been one of the more pleasing stories concerning Manchester City. Khusanov is a cult hero among City fans as his playing style is a throwback to centre-backs of yesteryear, and his personality is so laid-back. The Uzbekistan international is rarely flustered on the pitch, and his powerful challenges defy his personality, as Khusanov seems to be such a non-fussed character. As a player, Khusanov continues to take giant strides as an overall player, and that stood out as Manchester City beat Liverpool 4-0 in their FA Cup quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Abdukodir Khusanov is growing as a ball-playing defender which stood out as Manchester City beat Liverpool.

The strengths of Abdukodir Khusanov as a defender are well-known and well-established. His pace, strength, and timing of a challenge form the backbone of his game. Those attributes stood out once again against Liverpool on Saturday. One instance early in the first half when Khusanov caught up to Mo Salah, when the Egyptian international was played clean through by a long ball from Liverpool keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, stood out. This side of Khusanov’s game is already known by many. Another side of Khusanov’s game caught the eye against Arne Slot’s side at the Etihad, and it shows how quickly he is growing as an all-around player.

In possession, Abdukodir Khusanov was assured and composed when required. He wasn’t flustered when Liverpool pressed Manchester City as they played out from the back. Khusanov’s passing game was exceptional on Saturday. He also knew when to drive into midfield in possession when there were no other options to use. The next evolution for Abdukodir Khusanov as a player is to further develop as a ball-playing defender. He is clearly doing this, which was hard to miss in Manchester City’s win over Liverpool on Saturday.

Pep Lijnders is pleased with Abdukodir Khusanov’s growth as a player.

Speaking after Manchester City’s win over Liverpool on Saturday, Pep Lijnders revealed that he is pleased with Khusanov’s growth as a player. Lijnders added that Khusanov needs to continue on the path he is on. He explained: “Every time I see Khusa on the training pitch or in the hall I say ‘fast!’. He’s so fast. But he’s calm as well. He defends so smart and it helps if you have a lot of speed in the back.”

“Today the whole last line, all four, the way we dealt with how many players they put on the inside, how they try to make the runs, how we dealt with that and controlled that and still be high.”

“They played really good all four. We saw in the first goal kick how there was no solution and he just steps and commits into the midfield.”

“He’s making steps and he has to make sure he keeps growing. A young player with lots of potential. There’s a lot of new players that can make that step.”

Abdukodir Khusanov has firmly established himself as the future of the Manchester City defense. Even more than that, he has also firmly claimed a place in the current City defense. Khusanov should be one of the first names on the City team sheet. There is little doubt that he is. On top of that, Khusanov is developing at a rate of knots as an all-around player. His work in possession caught the eye against Liverpool, and that is improving with every game that Abdukodir Khusanov starts.