Nathan Ake is looking to stay in the Manchester City team for as long as possible after making the most of his opportunity in pre-season.
Ake was the subject of strong interest this summer from former club Chelsea, whose chances of signing him were talked up only for the club to fail to meet City's valuation. Instead, the Dutch defender headed off on a pre-season tour with Pep Guardiola as one of just two centre-backs given Aymeric Laporte's injury and the failure of John Stones to meet entry requirements for the United States.
Ake started both friendlies on the trip and then retained his place in the starting line-up for the Community Shield alongside Ruben Dias, despite Stones linking back up with the first team squad in Manchester. A week on, for the opening Premier League game at West Ham, Guardiola kept faith with Dias and Ake again.
