Who is Abdukodir Khusanov? Uzbekistan player linked with Manchester City

Khusanov is one of the fastest defenders in Europe.

According to sources, Manchester City are getting closer to signing defender Abdukodir Khusanov after agreeing to a deal with Ligue 1 side RC Lens. The 20-year-old centre-back from Uzbekistan is about to sign a contract with City after Lens agreed his departure for £40 million in transfer fee.

A medical examination may be conducted over the weekend before an official announcement, and his agents are currently in Manchester to finalize the deal.

Khusanov will be City’s first acquisition of the January transfer window if all goes according to plan. To make up for the injuries to Rúben Dias and John Stones, Khusanov is expected to join Pep Guardiola’s first team right away.

Who is Abdukodir Khusanov?

Uzbekistan is rarely mentioned in football-related conversations. World-class football talents are not typically found in the Central Asian nation, which is now ranked 58th in the globe. But one 20-year-old is getting ready to proudly represent Uzbekistan at the highest levels of professional football.

Abdukodir Khusanov is an Uzbek professional football player who plays centre-back for both the Uzbekistan national team and Lens, a side in Ligue 1. Up until the age of 18, Khusanov was a member of the Uzbek club Bunyodkor’s youth squads.

If Abdukodir Khusanov joins Manchester City, he could become the first Uzbek player to feature in the Premier League.He would become part of an exclusive club…https://t.co/TACxICpvdB pic.twitter.com/beluQlaMxl

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) January 10, 2025

Khusanov relocated to the Belarusian club Energetik-BGU in March 2022. On March 19, he made his professional debut by starting and playing the whole game against Vitebsk. After a year, he was acquired by Lens, one of the best clubs in France, after they were captivated by his performance.

Khusanov further established himself at Lens and emerged as one of the team’s underrated defenders. Now, he is being courted by Manchester City, a top Premier League team, who are close to signing him.

Abdukodir Khusanov’s playing style

Khusanov, a 20-year-old who has been forced to play at the back, lacks creativity. With defensive metrics in the 94th percentile in Ligue 1 this season, he is a defender’s defender who apparently enjoys keeping strikers from scoring.

He is also a physical example of a robust centre-back, being 6 feet 1 inch tall, muscular, athletic, and swift. Khusanov’s blazing speed would give City’s back line a completely different aspect.

Khusanov is too fast! 😱💨@RCLens pic.twitter.com/JKlNsLnoRV

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) December 8, 2024

He makes the most of his physical characteristics to be powerful in the air and much more powerful during the ground battle.

He has been compared to Ruben Dias because of his relentless pressing style and love to tackle strikers. He is equally at ease moving out to tackle or squeeze rivals as well as in one-on-one situations.

It’s interesting to note, that Khusanov is not your average Guardiola centre-back due to his poor ball-handling skills.

Even though he plays in the heart of a back three, he generates fewer touches, passes, and forward carries than his centre-back partners Kevin Danso and Facundo Medina. He does have the potential to improve his passing range. This will be especially essential when playing in Guardiola’s team that commands the ball.

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