Pep Guardiola Makes Decision Over Recalling Manuel Akanji As Manchester City Face Injury Crisis
Manuel Akanji's future in Italy has been left uncertain as Manchester City suffer center back nightmare.
Louis Fargher
Updated on 07 January 2026
Pep Guardiola has made his decision over recalling Manuel Akanji from Inter Milan as Manchester City face a major injury crisis.
Pep Guardiola Makes Decision Over Recalling Manuel Akanji
Manchester City have been hit with a huge blow at the beginning of 2026 as Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias and John Stones are all set to be ruled out for multiple weeks.
Gvardiol suffered a broken shin bone during Manchester City’s 1-1 stalemate with Sunderland in their latest Premier League outings, becoming the latest Cityzen defender to be sidelined.
This has caused Pep Guardiola to consider his options in the center back area and these injuries could play a huge part in Manuel Akanji’s future.
The Swiss defender joined Inter Milan in the summer after falling out-of-favor in Manchester and has made a strong start to his career in Serie A – playing every minute in the league.
The Nerazzurri have been linked with multiple defensive targets during the January window, including a new full-back after Joao Cancelo turned down a return to Inter in favor of Barcelona.
Cristian Chivu will be unwilling to lose another defender at this stage of the season and the Nerazzurri boss will be boosted by Pep Guardiola’s comments over recalling Akanji.
Guardiola said: “We’re going to be creative, we’re not going to call Akanji or Reis back from their loans in January.”
Inter currently sit top of Serie A and are now looking into the possibility of signing Akanji on a permanent basis in 2026.
Inter Milan Ready To Sign Manuel Akanji Permanently
The Swiss international joined Inter on a season-long loan and the deal included a €15million buy-option which will be triggered if Inter meet certain requirements.
One of these requirements is for the Nerazzurri to lift the Scudetto this season, meaning Akanji could play a huge role in his overall future this season.
Chivu’s side will face stiff competition from the likes of AC Milan, Napoli and Roma, with the latter finding huge success under Gian Piero Gasperini – as the Italian reached 1000 Serie A points after the Giallorossi’s latest league victory.
If Inter do not go on to lift the title but Akanji appears in over 50% of matches, then the €15m buy-option will be activated and the Swiss defender will join on a permanent basis.
Both of these stipulations are very feasible for Inter this season and the Nerazzurri are still willing to sign the Swiss international if they fail to meet the buy-option clauses.
Louis Fargher
Louis has been an avid soccer enthusiast for multiple years and boasts knowledge across several leagues in Europe - including Serie A. Louis holds a degree in Soccer Journalism and has produced content for multiple clubs in the United Kingdom.
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