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- The Serie A midfielder of the year sealed his move to Man City earlier this month
- Reijnders is available to play for Man City at the Club World Cup in America
- Sign up to DAZN to watch the Club World Cup for free
Tijjani Reijnders has vowed to solve Manchester City’s goalscoring problems from midfield with the same impact as Ilkay Gundogan did in his pomp.
Reijnders, who signed from AC Milan for an initial £46million earlier this month, is in line to make his debut in the Club World Cup against Wydad AC on Wednesday.
The Holland international has leant on the likes of compatriot Nathan Ake while settling into Pep Guardiola’s squad but is bullish about the qualities he can offer to a side looking to bounce back from last season’s disappointment.
Mateo Kovacic and Phil Foden were the only players away from Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush to net more than five Premier League goals as City managed to finish third despite their troubles.
Gundogan was renowned for scoring big goals during his first spell at the club, netting twice in the dramatic final day victory over Aston Villa in 2022 and then a double over Manchester United in the FA Cup final a year later.
Reijnders, who scored 15 in all competitions for a struggling Milan team last term, believes he can chip in to lighten the load on Guardiola’s attackers.
Tijjani Reijnders has vowed to solve Manchester City ’s goalscoring problems from midfield
Midfielder Gundogan was renowned for scoring big goals during his first spell at the club
‘I’ve watched the clips of Kevin (De Bruyne) a lot but Gundogan is someone I can learn a lot from,’ he said. ‘It’s nice to see him nearby and the way he does it.
‘That is what I did last season with Milan, being more on the scoresheet. It’s very important to score goals as a midfielder and it’s what I’m looking for, that and assists.
‘When I was younger I always looked to Andres Iniesta, how he read the game, how he played the game, his technical ability.’
Reijnders – whose dad Martin, a former Eredivisie striker, handled the negotiations – had only notched four times in his first campaign at the San Siro following a move from AZ Alkmaar. And the Serie A midfielder of the season insists he can hit the ground running.
‘The first season at Milan I wasn’t calm in my head when I had opportunities and it was something I was thinking about in the summer after,’ he added.
‘I watched clips back of myself when I got into those situations and tried to adapt to those kind of things in the second season, to be calmer in front of goal.
‘I’m a box-to-box player who likes to carry the ball but also to be in the build-up part and eventually to connect to the attacking part and try to find assists and goals. And that’s what I want to bring here.
Reijnders is in line to make his debut in the Club World Cup against Wydad AC on Wednesday
‘It’s the No 8 position and that is why they got me. Now I have to fill the No 8 position and do my best to show that I should play.
‘I’m really looking forward to it. I hear from a lot of colleagues in the national team how the Premier League is and I wanted to experience it.’