‘My love for United disappeared when I joined Basel’ – Manuel Akanji set record straight about wanting to play for Man United

Manchester City’s new centre back Manuel Akanji has admitted he was a Manchester United fan as a child.

The 27-year-old defender was approached four days before the end of the transfer window, with everything happening very quickly, eventually putting pen to paper for a long-term contract at the Etihad.

In an interview with Swiss paper Blick, new Manchester City signing Akanji has addressed comments he made claiming he was a Manchester United fan as a child.

“I gave that interview soon after I joined Dortmund [in 2018] and said I had been a Manchester United fan as a child,” said Akanji.

“But I also said that when you reach a certain level as a player, you are no longer a fan – as you end up playing against clubs like that.

“Then you no longer support the club as much as you did during your childhood.

“The second part was a misunderstanding. I was asked what was my ambition – and I said to play for the best club in the world.

“People inferred that I regarded Manchester United as the world’s best club, and absolutely wanted to play for them. But I never said anything like this.

“My love for United disappeared when I joined Basel, and played Champions League football against them. My idols became rivals.

Manchester City have yet to face the Red Devils in the Premier League, but when they do, it will be a special occasion for Akanji.

“Now the game I’m looking forward to the most is the Manchester derby. To be able to beat United in our home city would be amazing,” he added.

Manchester City fans shouldn’t be worried about his affiliation to our rivals, as he’s a complete professional. It’s very common in football for players to support clubs when they are young, but drift away as they go through their career.

We’ve seen with players in the Premier League, such as Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard, who both admitted supporting Everton as a child, but have developed into Liverpool fans after playing for them for so long.

Akanji made his first appearance for Manchester City in the Champions League against Sevilla, but he has yet to be given the chance to play in the Premier League.