Abdukodir Khusanov presents Uzbekistan President with signed Manchester City shirt after brilliant start to Premier League life | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov has met and presented Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev with a signed shirt whilst on international duty this week.

The 21-year-old has made an impressive start to life at the Etihad Stadium since joining from RC Lens for a reported fee of £33.6 million plus add-ons in January.

After a horror five-minute spell on his debut against Chelsea, the Uzbekistan international has established himself as a cult hero amongst the Manchester City fanbase owing to his fearless, old-school approach to defending.

Manchester City shirt sales have seen a significant rise since Khusanov’s arrival to the Etihad Stadium – becoming the first player from Uzbekistan to play in the Premier League.

Khusanov has played and impressed in a number of high-profile games for Manchester City since January, leading the backline against Real Madrid, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool as the Blues grapple with key absences in central defence.

Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake have all faced their own fitness issues this season, which has been at the forefront of Pep Guardiola’s troubles in addition to the absence of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri owing to an ACL injury since September.

Guardiola has been delighted with the impact Khusanov has made, particularly owing to the mitigating circumstances around his fast-tracked introduction to the first-team – when ideally, a young defender who is still learning English would be gradually phased into the setup.

Whilst on international duty this week – a week on from his engagement – Khusanov has met with and presented Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev with a signed Manchester City shirt.

Manchester City’s influence in Uzbekistan – which has seen a rapid rise since Khusanov’s arrival to the Etihad Stadium – will only grow further as the 21-year-old gets more minutes and establishes him as a stalwart in Guardiola’s backline in the seasons to come.

Khusanov is likely to start against Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final when Manchester City return to action next week at the end of the international break.