Whenever Pep Guardiola talks about Nathan Ake, there is a common theme in the messages from the Manchester City manager.
Ake joined City two years ago for £41m from Bournemouth to strengthen a defence that had been hampered by injuries the season before. He immediately strengthened the back line, but the later arrival of Ruben Dias that summer meant he went from competing with two other centre-backs for two spots, to rivalling John Stones and Aymeric Laporte for just one spot next to the impressive Dias.
However, whenever Ake has been given a chance under Guardiola, he has almost always turned in a solid performance and helped out in different positions when needed. So it's hardly a surprise that he's been linked with Newcastle and Chelsea this summer.
