Khusanov Struggles On Debut As Guardiola Explains Language Barrier

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, revealed that he would need to learn Russian or Uzbek in order to communicate with his new signing, Abdukodir Khusanov, as the 20-year-old does not understand English.

Khusanov made his debut for Manchester City on Saturday during their 3-1 victory over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. However, the Uzbekistan international seemed to have difficulty adapting to the pace of the Premier League.

Guardiola gave Khusanov a full debut after his €40 million transfer from French club Lens, but the young player struggled and was substituted just nine minutes into the second half.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Guardiola explained, “He doesn’t speak English, so I didn’t speak to him. He’ll be fine. He only had one or two training sessions. I didn’t want to push John [Stones], who is returning from injury, with Wednesday’s game [vs Club Brugge] coming up.”

Guardiola emphasized the importance of team support, saying, “The players were together, and that was massively important. Any player can make a mistake. The Manchester City fans always support the new players. He’s so young, and he will learn.”

He acknowledged that Khusanov’s adaptation to the team would take time, adding, “It’s not easy for him. He trained once and then had to play against [Nicolas] Jackson, Cole [Palmer], [Noni] Madueke, and [Jadon] Sancho. It’s a process when you sign a player this young. He’ll learn. These kinds of situations are the best lessons you can take.”

When asked if he had considered substituting Khusanov earlier in the match, Guardiola humorously replied, “Well, I have to learn Russian or Uzbek to communicate with him… He doesn’t speak English!”

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