Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana believes Abdukodir Khusanov “will be one of the best centre-backs in the world”.
The 22-year-old has made 52 appearances since joining from Ligue 1 club Lens in January 2025, while also securing a domestic cup double in his first full season.
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Khusanov has already made five appearances in six games under new boss Enzo Maresca, with Manchester City unbeaten so far this season.
“When we bought him, we all knew about his physical attributes,” Viana said in an interview on Manchester City’s website. “We all believed that he could be a really important player for us.
“We didn’t think it would be so soon because he was so young and he had only been playing in France for a really short time.
“We have been really, really happy with him. He is still developing and still learning, but I know for sure he will be one of the best centre-backs in the world in the next five or six years.”
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Khusanov signed a new five-year contract at Etihad Stadium in July, describing the occasion as “a great day for me and my family”.
When asked whether there was an opportunity to convince Rodri to stay this summer, Viana replied: “Of course we would have liked to keep him. We were having good and positive conversations with him and his agent.
“But after the World Cup, we had a really honest conversation again and he wanted to move back to his country – and we understood that.
“We should be proud of how we treat our players that have given so much to this club.”
