Manuel Akanji's impressive start to life at Manchester City continued on Thursday when he was voted Etihad Player of the Month for October.
City supporters headed to ManCity.com to cast their votes, with 45% voting for Akanji. Ederson came second with 37% and Nathan Ake finished third in the poll with 18%.
Akanji was a last-minute purchase for City at the end of the transfer window, the kind of deal the Blues have famously stayed clear of ever since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2016. However, when injuries to Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and John Stones left the boss with just one senior centre-back option a few weeks into the season, City dipped into the market and snapped up Akanji for a modest £15m fee.
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In his two months at the club the Swiss defender has wowed supporters and coaches alike with the ease at which he's adapted to a new country, team and - perhaps most significantly - complex tactical system.
The 27-year-old's composure on the ball and passing ability means he is ideally suited to City's style of play, as he is able to start attacks from defence by breaking lines with passes or with dribbles forward. That, combined with his more traditional defensive qualities, make it hard to understand why Borussia Dortmund were happy to let him go on the cheap.
Testament to how impressed Guardiola has been with his new recruit is that Akanji has started all six of City's Premier League matches that he has been available for, and appeared in four of City's six Champions League group matches.
Akanji missed his first City match through injury on Wednesday when City defeated Sevilla in the Champions League. Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester though, the defender confirmed that the issue is not serious.
"I just got a dead leg, I couldn’t stand on my leg anymore. After a couple of days it got better. Now I’m back in training and ready for the weekend."
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