New Delhi: Filling in the boots of a Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder is not an easy task, but that is exactly what Tijjani Reijnders must do at the start of his first season in the English Premier League. Signed for a £46.3m five-year deal from AC Milan in June, the Dutch midfielder will have no time to settle at City, who expect their new midfielder to hit the ground running in the absence of Rodri.

The Spanish midfielder, who spent nearly eight months out with an ACL injury last season, is unlikely to return to action in the near future after suffering a fresh injury setback at the FIFA Club World Cup. His long absence was one of the main reasons behind a rare trophyless campaign for City, and perhaps that’s why Guardiola chose Reijnders, who has similar box-to-box midfielder traits as his Spanish teammate.

Injuries to Mateo Kovacic and Phil Foden have further dented the start of Manchester City’s 2025–26 Premier League campaign. For Reijnders, though, it is a golden opportunity to establish himself in the central midfield position at City,........

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