Manchester City expected to sign second Uzbekistan footballer after Abdukodir Khusanov arrival | OneFootball

The City Football Group and Manchester City are believed to be intensifying their pursuit of strengthening their hold on Uzbek football.

The latest developments concerning the Etihad Stadium and Uzbek football come just months after club officials successfully recruited the Premier League’s first ever representative from Uzbekistan in Abdukodir Khusanov.

With a clear need for reinforcement in the defensive ranks and in various positions throughout Pep Guardiola’s squad, the likes of Hugo Viana – Manchester City’s director of football – turned to Ligue 1 and RC Lens for the aforementioned young defender.

Khusanov arrived into Pep Guardiola’s first-team ranks as one of four new recruits, joining for the second-half of the season and beyond alongside fellow defensive talent Vitor Reis from Palmeiras, Nico Gonzalez from FC Porto, and Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 21-year-old Tashkent-born star’s arrival at Manchester City has captured the imagination of those in his home country, bringing about a fresh wave of new supporters for the Sky Blues, who in turn have put an additional focus on his home nation and their rising footballers.

As per the reporting of SPORTS.uz, Otabek Umarov – the Vice President of Uzbekistan’s National Olympic Committee – has now spoken of the City Football Group’s intention to purchase an Uzbekistan-based club.

In addition to that venture, it has also been discussed that Manchester City are aiming to secure themselves the signing of another Uzbekistan national, following on from the recruitment of Abdukodir Khusanov in January.

Abdukodir Khusanov enjoyed a bright start to his career at Manchester City, putting in strong performances against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, and Chelsea, as well as a hugely commendable showing away to Real Madrid from the position of right-back.

However, aside from those outings, consistency in Pep Guardiola’s starting line-ups has been hard to come by, and Khusanov struggled to hold down a place in the recently-concluded campaign at the FIFA Club World Cup.

As such, many are wondering what sort of role Khusanov could play during the upcoming season across competitions, with Manchester City due to assess the futures of various senior stars in the coming weeks and months.