“I don’t have to say” – Nathan Ake glows with praise for Manchester City duo after Nottingham Forest win | OneFootball

Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri have been issued with the ultimate high praise by their Manchester City teammate Nathan Ake, speaking after the weekend’s victory.

The Belgian playmaker in particular was at the centre of both of Manchester City’s match-winning goals against Nottingham Forest, providing the crucial assists for both Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland’s strikes.

De Bruyne’s corner led directly to Gvardiol’s bullet header for the opening goal of the contest, while it was the 32-year-old’s defence-breaking pass that found Erling Haaland running down on goal and completing a sumptuous move to claim all three points.

Speaking after the 0-2 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon, Nathan Ake has insisted that he simply does “not have to say” how good Kevin De Bruyne is in particular for people to realise the Belgian’s quality across the pitch for Manchester City.

“I don’t have to say how good he is, how important he is for us. Every season he shows again the quality he has. He’s been out for five months but you don’t see that at all,” Nathan Ake pointed out.

“Straight away he came back in the form that he was in before. He helps us so much, so hopefully he can keep it going.”

Elsewhere, defensive midfield mainstay Rodri is currently in the midst of a sensational unbeaten record for Manchester City, stretching across his last 70 appearances for the club and lasting over 450 days.

“It’s an incredible record. You don’t see that often,” said Ake on the subject of the Spanish international’s record. “He’s so important for our team, every game he plays. In his role especially he’s massive, he’s important.

“He scored important goals and plays really well. He’s got this fight to not lose games so hopefully we can keep it going for him until the end.”

Despite some criticism over Erling Haaland’s performances this season, amid struggles with fitness and injury in large parts of the campaign, the Norwegian remains the club’s leading scorer with 32 goals to his name.

Should Manchester City go on to win all of their remaining five matches across competitions this season, they will become the first club to retain the domestic double after last season’s triumphs as part of their Treble triumph.

Erling Haaland will be imperative to any successes, and Manchester City will almost certainly need the 23-year-old to remain fit for the remainder of the season, alongside the exemplary efforts of Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol, and Kevin De Bruyne.