As the departure of Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City is finally confirmed, the club faces a real juncture – rebuilding a midfield for the next generation. We at The Football Yeller are here to cover How Good Is Tijjani Reijnders? It appears they have already lined up a rising star to take on that responsibility: Tijjani Reijnders.
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Who Is Tijjani Reijnders? A Quick Background
Coming from a football family, Tijjani Reijnders was born in Zwolle, Netherlands, and played as a youth for PEC Zwolle before starting his senior career there and launching his career from AZ Alkmaar. Once recognised as one of the Eredivisie’s finest midfielders, his elegant passing, press resistance and excellent reading of the game were evident.
It was a transfer to AC Milan in 2023 which further refined his tactical intelligence, seamlessly adapting to Serie A’s tempo and physicality. Posing with an elegance and efficiency that belied his massive frame (1.85 m/6 ft 1 in), Reijnders soon established himself as one of Europe’s hottest deep-lying playmakers.
How Will Tijjani Reijnders Fit at Man City?
Pep Guardiola seems to prefer players who are versatile and intelligent more than anything, and Reijnders is the perfect signing in that sense. City have easily switched between 4-3-3 and a 3-2-4-1, and Reijnders can play in both as the heartbeat in the middle of the field.
With De Bruyne gone and Ilkay Gundogan not up to the mark, there is a creative gap that needs to be filled — and one in which Reijnders is likely to play. He will probably take up the left-sided No. 8 role, supplying the playmaker and playing the ball forward into spaces between the lines.
His appreciation of tempo control and capacity to open space through fast touches make him perfectly tailored to Guardiola’s positional play philosophy.
And he’s happy in deeper zones whenever required, frequently dropping alongside the pivot in City’s build-up phase and making sure that in the first construction phase they always have numerical superiority. Pep is likely to demand the extent of flexibility we’ve seen in his system during pre-season, and he can easily fit various formations.
What Will Be Tijjani Reijnders’ Best Position?
Reijnders has played in a variety of midfield roles, but he’s at his best as a box-to-box No. 8 if he’s given a little licence to surge forward and combine with attackers.
“He often brought the ball into the opposition’s final third, opened closures with his passes and initiated fast breaks” – attributes that seem to cut the returns on what Guardiola would have loved to have seen so far in the absence of De Bruyne in his prime.
Rodri covers the base of midfield, and Reijnders would thrive in an advanced left or right interior role — particularly when combined with a player such as Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva or Savio. His timing of runs into the box, his awareness of space and his composure in high-pressure situations mark him as a midfielder capable of both creating and finishing actions.
What Will Tijjani Reijnders Bring To Man City?
City fans can anticipate a midfielder who adds composure, creativity, leadership, and balance. Reijnders isn’t just a De Bruyne replacement — he’s a new type of weapon in Guardiola’s Arsenal (Pun Intended). He might not have KDB’s goal-scoring abilities just yet, but his all-round ability to connect defence to attack, keep hold of the ball under pressure, and move it forward should provide a welcome extra dimension.
He might not set the Etihad alight with outside-the-box screamers just yet, but his work rate, football intelligence and tendency to move off the ball will make him a favourite among the fans.
So one can expect Tijjani Reijnders to become the Heart of City’s midfield — the sort of player that perhaps does not always show up on the scoresheet but is the reason why the team functions; the oil, if you prefer, that ensures every part in the machinery moves smoothly.
Conclusion: A New Midfield Era Begins
Kevin De Bruyne’s exit is the end of an Iconic era at Manchester City. But in Tijjani Reijnders, who has kind of taken his place, the club have perhaps found a new midfield brain to propel them into the future.
Smart, dynamic and blessed with great technique, Reijnders is well-equipped to pull on the sky blue – and forge his legacy at the Etihad Stadium.
For more stories, like, How Good Is Tijjani Reijnders? Manchester City’s New Heart In Midfield 2025. Click Here.
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