Hours after their side’s Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal, bleary-eyed Manchester City fans piled onto the Avanti West Coast train back from London Euston to Manchester – and there was one name on their lips. But it wasn’t homegrown match-winner Nico O’Reilly. “How good is [Abdukodir] Khusanov?!” piped up one. “He is an absolute beast!” came the response. It was clear the City faithful had a new cult hero.

The fans’ giddy excitement about the unassuming Uzbekistan international capable of bone-crunching tackles continued as the train, which soon began to resemble the last days of Rome, accelerated north. “The Uzbeks love him, he’s their Gareth Bale,” came another remark.

And then there was a moment of appreciation for the people who had unearthed this gem from Lens and brought him to City for £31 million in January 2025: “What a job from our scouts!”

Those scouts can certainly be proud of the fact that Khusanov, who is certainly the best signing City made in January 2025 amid a £180m spending spree, could go down as one of the most shrewd deals made by Txiki Begiristain in his 13 years with the club before departing in 2025.

Khusanov had only made 31 appearances for Lens when he made the move and even fewer when City began to spot his potential. His signing came about thanks to a collaboration across the City scouting network, as those in France were immediately impressed when they saw Khusanov in action, believing him to be a young player with lots of potential and attributes that could take him a long way

Described as being very aggressive but in a positive way, he left a big impression on City’s whole scouting network, and a huge effort was made to bring him in last January, just as clubs including Newcastle, Real Madrid and Manchester United were starting to show interest.

Khusanov has all the traits that English football fans love: Speed, aggression, power and passion. And when City have found themselves on the back foot in games, there have been fewer more thrilling sights than Khusanov chasing down his opponent and making a lunging challenge to win the ball back.

Hitting like a train

The Uzbek provided one of the key moments early on in the final when he hared down on Kai Havertz and retrieved the ball, while Khusanov later provided a crowd-pleasing moment for City fans with the meatiest of challenges on Viktor Gyokeres.

The tackle on the Arsenal striker brought to mind a quote from journalist Narzulla Saydullaev, who said, “In Uzbekistan, they say that being hit by a train or by Abdukodir is the same thing.”

In City’s previous game against Real Madrid, Khusanov gave City fans something to hold on to on an otherwise grim night, showcasing his now-renowned recovery speed by chasing down both Vinicius Jr and Brahim Diaz. He also played a big role in City’s incredible win at Liverpool in February, shutting down the twin threats of Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike before being forced off with concussion.

‘So fast’

Khusanov’s speed is his greatest asset. 

His recovery pace makes him particularly valuable to Guardiola, whose side are playing with an increasingly higher defensive line after hiring Pep Lijnders, Jurgen Klopp’s former assistant, last summer.

Guardiola has repeatedly said Khusanov is “so fast”, but he has also emphasised the youngster’s football intelligence: “Normally when a player has physicality, it means he does not have to use the head. He has both. That’s why on the ball he is getting better and it always encourages me that he will improve.”

Mental resilience

Another attribute worth pointing out is Khusanov’s mental resilience. He endured a harrowing start to life at City, making a howler that led to a goal on his debut against Chelsea as he mistimed a headed challenge with Nicolas Jackson and then naively stooped to nod the ball back towards goalkeeper Ederson, leading to Jackson pouncing and setting up Noni Madueke to score.

A minute later, Khusanov earned himself a yellow card before then playing Cole Palmer onside, only to gather himself and make a tremendous block to stop Jadon Sancho from scoring. Khusanov subsequently risked getting himself sent off with another careless challenge, and Guardiola took preventative action by hauling him off early in the second half.

He was given a rousing ovation by City fans, but it felt out of sympathy more than anything else. 

Out of the spotlight

It didn’t get any easier for the youngster as he was exposed by Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius on his Champions League debut against Real Madrid, with former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson claiming that Khusanov he ‘had been caught like a rabbit in headlights’. A month later, he scored an own goal in a home draw with Brighton.

That was the last league game Khusanov would play in the 2024-25 season, and he wasn’t even named in the City squad for their final four matches. Thus, when Vitor Reis – who had arrived at the same time as him and for an almost identical fee – was sent out on loan to Girona in the summer, it was tempting to wonder whether Khusanov would also benefit from a temporary spell elsewhere. But he put his time out of the spotlight to good use, spending four hours a week learning English.

“He doesn’t speak like William Shakespeare, but he’s getting better and better,” Guardiola said recently. “He understands what we want and every time he is getting better. He is so intelligent. I think he can improve – he is always open-minded. I have said Manchester City have a player and a central defender for many, many years.”

Khusanov might appear shy and of few words, but his actions, be it haring down on opponents or delivering full-throttle tackles, speak loudly. And people are sitting up and taking notice. The chattering City fans on the train can expect many more moments to savour from their own baby-faced assassin.