Tijjani Reijnders opens up on Kevin De Bruyne admiration and ‘loss of freedom’ under Pep Guardiola | OneFootball

Incoming Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has spoken openly about potentially ‘losing freedom’ in his game under Pep Guardiola, in a new interview.

The Dutchman is widely expected to be the first official arrival into the Manchester City squad this summer as part of a widespread rebuild of Guardiola’s options off the back of a hugely disappointing campaign.

The current understanding is that City’s recruitment officials have reached an agreement with AC Milan over an initial €55 million transfer fee for the versatile midfielder, potentially rising as high as €70 million depending on easily achievable and more difficult add-ons.

As for the player himself, Reijnders is expected to put pen to paper on a five-year long-term contract with Manchester City, which is likely to be finalised and completed next week following his duties with the Dutch national team.

But commitments to his country have certainly not held back the player from openly discussing a number of subjects, including Pep Guardiola, in the lead up to his expected switch to the Etihad Stadium.

Speaking in a new conversation during the international break with Voetbalzone, Tijjani Reijnders gave Manchester City fans an insight into the sort of game they can expect from the 26-year-old upon his arrival at his new home.

“I think I am a modern midfielder. I am a box-to-box player and that is what you need in modern football,” Reijnders explained.

“And I am always fit, which is also an advantage. Fortunately, I have always remained that way and I hope to keep it that way for as long as possible.”

Discussing how his game has improved over the years, the Netherlands international pointed towards Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne as an inspiration when it came to one particular aspect of the midfield role.

“I learned a lot from how he scans the area before he gets the ball. My father pointed that out to me and from then on I really started paying attention to it with him. When you look ahead, you give yourself so much more time. I apply that to every game now,” Reijnders said.

“[Kevin] De Bruyne is a great player. When you look at Manchester City, I think the first thing you look at is De Bruyne.”

One subject of conversation that has been circling in recent days is the possibility of Tijjani Reijnders ‘losing freedom’ in his game by entering into Pep Guardiola’s rigid, structured, and disciplined system at Manchester City.

“We’ll have to see if that happens,” the AC Milan star responded on the matter. “There is always room for development, in whatever respect. Especially as a midfielder.”

He added, “There are so many things you can develop in. I can become a more complete midfielder there, if the deal goes through.”

Reijnders is likely to be one of three new arrivals that are completed and formally announced by Manchester City prior to the summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, with an attacking midfielder and left-back anticipated.

In the former of the two roles, City officials are lining up Lyon’s Rayan Cherki having withdrawn interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz due to concerns over the mounting financial cost of a potential deal for the German.

As for left-sided full-back, there is believed to be an agreement in place over a deal for Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri, and the Algeria international is expected in Manchester for a medical test on Saturday, according to reports.