Manuel Akanji was delighted to mark his Manchester City debut with three points and a clean sheet.
Injuries to Kyle Walker (unspecified) and John Stones (muscular) meant Pep Guardiola was limited in his defensive options for their Champions League opener against Sevilla on Tuesday night. In turn, it prompted the City manager to throw Akanji straight into the action despite lacking time on the training ground.
City were also without longer-term absentee Aymeric Laporte (knee) - but they did have Nathan Ake fit and ready to play alongside Ruben Dias had Guardiola opted to do so. However, it was Akanji who got the nod and City went on to record a routine 4-0 win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
READ MORE: City strategy could be exposed
Erling Haaland predictably made his mark - with goals either side of the interval - as England starlet Phil Foden and Dias added their name to the score-sheet on what was a comfortable night for the Premier League champions. But how did Akanji rate his performance after helping City to a perfect start in their Group G opener.
Speaking to BT Sport during his post-match interview, Akanji said: "I enjoyed it a lot. It was my first game and they [my teammates] made it really easy for me. It was an intense away game, but I'm really happy that we kept a clean sheet and got three points.
"Erling texted me before I signed and when Manchester City calls you, you don't have to think twice. He spoke and he only told me good things about this club."
Akanji was snapped-up by City from Borussia Dortmund for £15.1million on deadline day. He followed Stefan Ortega, Sergio Gomez, Kalvin Phillips and Haaland through the Etihad Stadium doors as Guardiola freshened up his squad on the back of another title success.
MORE TO READ:
