Manchester City only get stronger and stronger with each transfer window, adding two world class players from within the Premier League to drive up their title hopes in Antoine Semenyo and center back Marc Guehi, but the big X-Factor is still the great center back they signed last year.
Abduokodir Khusanov was the best center back in the world in the first half of the 2024/25 season for Lens, and while that fact may have flown under the radar to your Average Joe who only watches the Premier League Big Six, the astute scouting department at Manchester City knew the Uzbekistani player was a can’t miss signing.
Since stepping foot at the Etihad, Khusanov has shown that playing for the richest club in England was not a step too soon, and the now 22 year old central defender is a vital player to Man City despite not being a starter on a team that boasts Ruben Dias, Guehi, and Josko Gvardiol as three of the world’s best.
But Khusanov is also one of the world’s best and is only going to be even more important to Manchester City as the season winds down, particularly in the Champions League knockouts as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior loom ahead.
A pure defender, Khusanov suits the modern demands of the center back position to a T as the literal fastest central defender in the Premier League with the acceleration, strength, physicality, and intensity to go toe-to-toe with any forward of any skill set.
Dias and Guehi are the best two center backs at Manchester City for their consistency, veteran guile, intelligence, and quality on the ball – among other things – but when the sheer pace and athleticism of the Real Madrid front line and other attacks beckon, Khusanov becomes a must start.
He is the only one who can hang with the world’s best athletes like that, and because of Khusanov being in the side, Manchester City know they can match up with any attack in the world.
The young defender completes the dominant Man City defensive group, making them the world’s best overall defense in terms of flexibility and squad strength because he gives them the sheer pace to burn to counter the world’s greatest attackers – the only players Dias and Guehi, even, may ever struggle with.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.