Midfielder says “Gundogan is someone I can learn a lot from”; Reijnders will be called upon to help fill hole left by De Bruyne
New Manchester City signing Tijjani Reijnders wants to model his game after Ilkay Gundogan, as the Netherlands international looks to make a scoring impact from midfield following his £46.6m switch from AC Milan.
The 26-year-old Dutchman, who netted 15 times across all competitions for Milan last season, has been brought in by Pep Guardiola to operate as a dynamic No 8. Speaking ahead of his likely debut in the FIFA Club World Cup, Reijnders revealed his ambitions at the Etihad.
“Gundogan is someone I can learn a lot from,” said Reijnders. “It’s nice to see him nearby and the way he does it. Scoring goals as a midfielder is very important, that and assists.”
Reijnders’ 2024-25 output was a dramatic leap from the previous season, with 10 goals in Serie A alone. He said he has improved because he is now much more composed in front of goal.
“I wasn’t calm in my head during my first season in Milan,” he admitted. “That was something I worked on last summer. I watched clips of myself and tried to be calmer in those moments. The No 8 role is why City brought me in. Now I have to prove I belong.”
City begin their Club World Cup campaign against Wydad AC on Wednesday in Philadelphia, with fixtures against Al Ain and Juventus to follow in Group G. Reijnders insists City are taking the tournament seriously, even as temperatures in the United States soar.
“We want to win every tournament. It’s going to be hard. A lot of good teams and the weather’s very hot. But we’ll be ready.”
Reijnders joins fellow summer arrivals Rayan Cherki, Marcus Bettinelli, and Rayan Ait-Nouri at City. Kevin De Bruyne has left, and Reijnders will be called upon to help fill that hole. Despite the City maestro’s departure, however, the former Milan man is not expecting too much to change and believes the squad’s general identity remains intact.
“De Bruyne left, but the base is still there,” said Reijnders. “You can see the standards in training and outside the pitch. The boys are helping me and it gives me a good feeling.
“You can always have a season where you win nothing. It’s up to us to change that now and win prizes again.”
