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| Uzbeck Kim Minjae'Abdukodir Kusanov marks Son Heung-min. AFP Yonhap News |
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| Man City manager Pep Guardiola and Nico O'Reilly. REUTERS Yonhap News |
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Abdukodir Kusanov (21, Manchester City), who was the first Uzbek to advance to the English Premier League (EPL) in January, suddenly disappeared.
Manchester City's surprise recruitment of 40 million euros (about 64 billion won) from France's Lance to strengthen its defense 'Uzbeck Kim Min-jae' Kusanov did not play a single minute in the team's five EPL games in April.
Compared to his debut in the match against Chelsea (3-1 win) on January 25 and playing full-time for five consecutive games from Newcastle (4-0 win) to Brighton (2-2 draw) in the 29th round, his recent position has narrowed beyond recognition. The Spanish daily 'As' announced on the 22nd that 'Cusanov disappeared for a month'
According to 'As', Kusanov became a tactical scapegoat for Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. Guardiola hired Nico O'Reilly, who recently returned from injury, as a left full-back and left-back Josko Gvardiol. O'Reilly's addition and Gvardiol's position change took away Kusanov's playing time.
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| APYonhap News |
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Gvardiol, Croatia's leading defender, is ahead of Kusanov in terms of skill and experience and has been working with Díaz steadily. On top of that, midfielder O'Reilly stole Guardiola's heart with his 'offensive fullback'. He scored his first and second goals of the season in succession against Palace and Everton.
In addition, Manchester City rebounded after reorganizing into a Matheus Nunes-Ruben Dias-Gvardiol-O'Reilly four-back. Manchester City, which won 2-0 against Leicester in the 30th round, drew 0-0 with Manchester United and then won three consecutive games against Crystal Palace (5-2), Everton (2-0), and Aston Villa (2-1).
Manchester City, which lost face by falling to 7th place in the middle of the season, entered the 'Champs League' at some point with a steady rise.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| EPAYonhap News |
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He jumped to third place, qualifying for the European Champions League, with a 2-1 victory over Villa at Etihad Stadium on the 23rd. Manchester City, which led by Bernardu Silva's first goal in the 7th minute of the first half, equalized with a penalty kick to Marcus Rashford, who was a member of Manchester United in the 18th minute of the first half. Nunes exploded a theater goal in the fourth minute of extra time in the second half when the 1-1 tie continued, giving the team three valuable points.
Manchester City, which played one more game, had 61 points, beating 4th place Nottingham Forest (60 points) and 5th place Newcastle (59 points) by 1 point and 2 points, respectively. It is four points behind Chelsea in sixth place and Villa in seventh place (57 points or more). If Nottingham, Newcastle and Chelsea fail to win side by side in round 34, they can cement their third place. He is five points behind Arsenal (66 points), who are in second place.
Manchester City will say goodbye to midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, the club's all-time best player, at the end of this season. Veteran midfielder Silva is also likely to leave the team. It is part of a full-fledged generational change. Kusanov, along with striker Omar Marmushi and defender Vitor Hayes, is a 'future resource' that Guardiola has noticed. It seems difficult to get a chance to play in the rest of the season, but it is reported that it is still highly evaluated by the coach.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
