One of Manchester City’s summer signings had an impressive debut against Wydad AC | OneFootball

Manchester City began their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a 2-nil win over Wydad AC yesterday at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku were enough for Pep Guardiola’s side to pick up all three points against the Moroccan side. Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders made their debuts for Manchester City yesterday against Wydad AC. In the case of Tijjani Reijnders, the Dutch international made an impressive debut for Manchester City playing in midfield. All of the quality in Reijnders’ game was on full display yesterday.

Tijjani Reijnders had an impressive debut for Manchester City yesterday.

Unexpectedly, Tijjani Reijnders lined up as a number six in his debut for Manchester City. The Dutch international was tasked with controlling the tempo of yesterday’s match from midfield. It was a task that he was more than up for. For the full 90 minutes, Reijnders elegantly glided around the pitch. He was calm and poised in possession as the statistics below highlight. His ability to run with the ball was also a standout feature of his play. Reijnders was also strong in a duel throughout yesterday’s match. The ability of Reijnders to shield the Manchester City defence as a number six was also impressive.

But more important than the statistics was that Tijjani Reijnders looked like a Manchester City player yesterday. He passed the eye test with his performance. Over recent seasons midfielders signed by Manchester City have needed time to adapt to life in a Pep Guardiola side. But watching Reijnders play yesterday it seemed that he is a player who shouldn’t need a lot of time to adjust to life at the Etihad. That was a major positive to come out of Reijnders’ impressive debut.

Reijnders looks like he is ready to make an immediate impact for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Given the fact that Tijjani Reijnders is 26 years of age, it is expected that he hits the ground running as a Manchester City player. He is in the prime of his career and he does appear to be the perfect type of midfielder for a Pep Guardiola team. He showed that yesterday playing as a number six. The Dutch international played that role superbly until Rodri’s introduction on the hour mark. Once Rodri came on, Reijnders slotted into his preferred number eight position. His influence on yesterday’s match waned after Rodri came on. But their partnership should flourish the more they play together.

Speaking after Manchester City’s 2-nil win over Wydad AC, Nathan Ake was full of praise for Tijjani Reijnders and his impressive debut as a Manchester City player. In an interview published on mancity.com, Ake said: “I think he did very well in midfield against Wydad in tough circumstances, but I think he kept the ball really well. He kept us moving and defensively, as well, he was very good too. He can play multiple positions, he can get in the box, he can get you moving and we know he’s got a lot of quality.”

Tijjani Reijnders showed exactly why Manchester City were so eager to sign him from AC Milan against Wydad AC. There will be bigger tests ahead of Reijnders as a Manchester City player, but his debut was a great first step for the Dutch international as a City player.