Tijjani Reijnders “has the X-factor”: Pep Guardiola will “adore” Frank Lampard-esque Man City signing after “ridiculous” Palermo performance

Manchester City’s summer signing Tijjani Reijnders will become a “special footballer” for Pep Guardiola’s side, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.

Reijnders joined Man City from AC Milan in June for a reported £46m and was identified as a leading target after being named Serie A Midfielder of the Year for the 2024-25 season.

The 27-year-old made his competitive debut for the Citizens at the FIFA Club World Cup and played the full 90 minutes in three of their four matches before Guardiola’s side were eliminated in the last 16 by Al-Hilal.

Reijnders was also involved in Man City’s pre-season friendly against Palermo last weekend and grabbed the headlines after scoring two second-half goals in a 3-0 victory in Sicily.

The Netherlands international was prolific in front of goal for Milan last season, netting 15 times in 54 games across all competitions, and McInerney has likened the midfielder to former Chelsea and Man City man Frank Lampard, who sits seventh on the all-time top scorer charts in the Premier League with 177 goals.

“Ridiculous” Reijnders can reach the “very top” at Man City

“In the second half (against Palermo), it became the Tijjani Reinders show,” McInerney told Sports Mole. “Reijnders was absolutely ridiculous. Obviously, City were playing against a second-tier Italian side, but Reijnders’s movement is undeniable.

“He should have had a hat-trick in the most spectacular of fashions until he tripped over his own feet, but the finishes of his two goals - Frank Lampard, that's what I was getting from him.

“The quality of his finishing also reminded me of [Julian] Alvarez at City, in terms of his positioning and his movement. Really, really, really impressive. As much as he can play in the No.6 and Guardiola's hinted to that, you want that guy further forward because his movement is so, so impressive.”

McInerney, who has previously labelled Reijnders as' a young Ilkay Gundogan’, expects the midfielder to play regularly under Guardiola in the new season and believes that he has the potential to “go to the very top” at Man City.

“[Scott] McTominay’s up for the Ballon d'Or, where is [Reijnders’s] Ballon d'Or nomination as well by logic?” McInerney added. “Maybe in 12 months we'll be talking about it anyway, because I've been incredibly impressed by him.

“He looks like the most obvious banger of a signing since [Erling] Haaland to me. He looks like he's going to fit this team like a glove. Reijnders looks like Guardiola's going to absolutely adore him.

‘Reijnders is going to be a special footballer for Man City’

“We've seen him play a little bit deeper, get the ball and be so composed and so intelligent with his movement and his touch. His spatial awareness is excellent. He's got the X-factor essentially.

“I look at like Nico Gonzalez, who's also a really good player and I think he'll become a good footballer, but Reijnders has an X-factor. [He can do] everything essentially...people like Reijnders are the players that go to the very top and become truly elite footballers.

“This is the reason why Ilkay Gundogan's become a legend at City because he has that that insatiable desire for big moments, the clutch mentality, and I think Reijnders clearly has that.

“He clearly has all the ability, but then if you add goals to that as well, it's frightening. He’s going to add an awful lot of power alongside the likes of Rodri and [Rayan] Cherki and [Phil] Foden and so on, and the experience of Gundogan and Bernardo Silva is there too. He looks like a nailed-on starter, a nailed-on fantasy football signing for so many people.

“He looks brilliant, absolutely brilliant. So much ability, so much aggression and it's not just aggression without a touch as well, [he has] the skill to get past people. What should have been his hat-trick goal where he rounded the keeper with a little roll of the ball - just lovely stuff, so silky. I can't wait to see more of him. I think he's going to be a special footballer for City.”

> Click this link to view and listen to the full discussion