Tijjani Reijnders announcement speaks volumes ahead of Man City start
Manchester City are close to completing the signing of AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders after he completed a medical.
Manchester City are in a hurry. They want to get most of their new faces into Pep Guardiola's squad in time for the Club World Cup and that means signing them before Tuesday at 7pm.
It has meant a lot of work for sporting directors Txiki Begiristain and Hugo Viana in this first transfer window, having to navigate two rounds of international fixtures as well as negotiate with clubs and agents. There has to have been buy-in from the transfer targets in order to get deals in position.
That has certainly been the case with AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, who flew to Manchester between Netherlands games in order to complete his medical. After playing in Finland on Saturday night, it was down to the north-west on Sunday before across to his home country ahead of their match with Malta on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters after the medical, Reijnders was clear about the reasons for the rush. “I couldn’t wait any longer," he said.
“The intention is to participate in the Club World Cup with City. I’m excited about it. This way I can get to know my new teammates straight away.
"I’ll return to Zeist on Sunday evening. Then I’ll prepare for Tuesday’s match against Malta.”
From a City perspective, that is exactly what Pep Guardiola wants as the club look to put a disappointing season behind them. Not only will he have a new midfielder available imminently once a transfer is completed, he has one willing to put tiredness behind him in order to make the best possible start he can.
Obviously, City will need to be careful with minutes. Their players will need more care than most to juggle a summer tournament and next season's efforts with enough rest, but the attitude of Reijnders will help.
There was a feeling among Guardiola and the squad last season that commitment and motivation dipped at the worst possible time. Ilkay Gundogan and Ruben Dias spoke of something being lost in the middle of the campaign, while Bernardo Silva reflected that he had learned who he could (and so presumably could not) 'go to war with'.
City need players that can improve Guardiola's first-team options and increase competition in the squad, but as much as that hangs on ability it is also about application.
As Dias told the Manchester Evening News last month: "This team is made of a lot of individual quality but it's even more made of this mentality and the feeling among each other that we're there and we're going to do it and be strong together. Whenever that feeling is present, things get easier."
Reijnders hasn't kicked a ball for City yet, with his transfer not complete. Already he has made a positive impression though, and as he prepares to link up with his new teammates Guardiola can be optimistic that he has at least one more through the door ready to fight to reclaim the Premier League back from Liverpool.
The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world's best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.
Fans can watch every match live and for free by signing up to DAZN.
---
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.