Manchester City this week completed the signings of defenders Abdukodir Khusanov (£5.0m) and Vitor Reis (£4.5m) as Pep Guardiola looks to rejuvenate his back line.
Khusanov, 20, has arrived for an initial £33.8m from Ligue 1 side Lens. Reis, who is a year younger, landed from Brazilian side Palmeiras for £29.6m.
Here we run the rule over the defensive duo in our latest Scout Report.
ABDUKODIR KHUSANOV
Khusanov is an Uzbekhistan international who started out playing for the youth teams of Uzbek club Bunyodkor before moving to Belarusian club Energetik-BGU Minsk, aged 18. He broke into the first team immediately, making 35 appearances and scoring four goals before being picked up 18 months later by Lens for €100,000 in 2023.
Khusanov made nine Ligue 1 appearances in his first season in the French top flight and cemented a regular place at the heart of the Lens defence this campaign, missing only two matches of the club’s 18 appearances through suspension.
Abdukodir Khusanov’s playing stats
| Season | Club | Competition | Starts (sub apps) | Goals | Assists |
| 2022 | Energetik-BGU Minsk | League | 27 (0) | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | Energetik-BGU Minsk | League | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023/24 | Lens | League | 9 (2) | 0 | 0 |
| 2024/25 | Lens | League | 11 (2) | 0 | 0 |
Though only 20, Khusanov has already been capped 18 times by his country and is highly regarded in France as one of the best defenders around.
“I would say he was one of the top three centre-backs in Ligue 1 this season, outstanding. He just has everything.
“Yes, you bought the potential if you’re Manchester City, because he’s still only 20 years old and has never played in European competitions. But he’s got that potential.” – Julien Laurens, French football expert for TNT
Khusanov is a quick and aggressive centre-back who loves a thumping tackle and getting up tight to forwards to shepherd them away from goal. He is determined to win the ball at all costs, which means he is prone to the occasional booking as he will make the tactical foul when beaten or overcommitted to a challenge. Indeed, he has been sent off once already this season.
“He’s a monster… he scares me. No, really! For his age, what he does…” – Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba
However, the Uzbeki centre-back is not often beaten to the ball as he is a good reader of the game and has the pace to make rapid interceptions. He is also versatile. At Lens, he has played in a back three, across all three positions, as well as a back four at both left and right centre-back.
Khusanov heat map 2024/25
Graphic courtesy of One-Versus-One
The 20-year-old enjoys the physical challenge and is first and foremost a defender, who is decent in the air. He is not known for bringing the ball out from the back, preferring instead to hit the ball long or play a sideways pass to a team-mate – largely because Lens play direct – and he is not particularly known for his ability on the ball.
“He’s strong physically, he wins all the duels on the ground, in the air, he’s really quick. He needs to work on the ball-playing side of his game, but for the rest, he’s definitely one for the future.
“I don’t think it will take him long to be able to play for Pep Guardiola.” – Julien Laurens, French football expert for TNT
THE FPL PROSPECTS
Khusanov has the ingredients to be a formidable addition to the Man City defence. His power should suit him to the physical intensity of the Premier League and his pace should enable him to act as the safety catch whenever City lose possession pouring forwards – much as the departing Kyle Walker (£5.3m) has done over the years.
The only question is how long it will take him to adapt to Guardiola-ball. The Catalan coach places very specific and numerous demands on his players, and it may take time for Khusanov to memorise the playbook and understand the exacting instructions.
He will need to understand that finding row Z or hoofing it up to Erling Haaland (£14.8m) is not an option and that he will need to wait for attackers to close him down before passing to a team-mate. He also still needs to learn English.
The no-frills, defence-first Khusanov has been compared to Ruben Dias (£5.4m) and he may get to play sooner rather than later if City suffer any more injuries to their creaking rearguard, but at his price point Fantasy managers are probably better off waiting to see when and how he plays before assuming we have the next Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) on our hands.
You couldn’t get a much worse fixture run for City’s defence anyhow, with Gameweek 30 the time to reassess the reigning champions’ transitioning backline.
VITOR REIS
Vitor Reis came through the Palmeiras youth system and quickly established himself in the first team only six months ago, making 16 league appearances for Abel Ferreira’s side.
A natural leader, he captained every age group as he rose through the youth ranks, including the Brazil side at the 2023 Under-17 World Cup.
His very first Serie A start came against arch-rivals Corinthians and not only did Reis help Palmeiras keep a clean sheet in the top-of-the-table clash, but he also scored in the 2-0 win.
Vitor Reís‘ playing stats
| Season | Club | Competition | Starts (sub apps) | Goals | Assists |
| 2024 | Palmeiras | League | 16 (2) | 1 | 0 |
Reis is a composed, commanding centre-back who is comfortable in possession. He has excellent technique, is adept at bringing the ball out from the back and is unperturbed when closed down – he was not once dispossessed last season. He can also play all across the backline, where he has played both in the middle and to the right of a three.
The 19-year-old does not have the electric pace of Khusanov but is quicker than his loping stride suggests and his reading of the game enables him to put out fires before they spread.
Reis is clean in the tackle, shows good judgement in the challenge – he is not one for the rash lunge – and is also good in the air, despite standing, like Khusanov, only 6ft 1in tall. He won 2.8 aerial duels per 90 minutes last season, with a success rate of 66 per cent, putting him in the 92nd percentile of players in the division.
Vitor Reis’ Player Radar chart 2004
Graphic courtesy of totalfootballanalysis.com
This also makes him a threat on set-pieces, from which he scored twice last term. However, he may need to bulk up to withstand the rigours of the Premier League, especially as he missed a few matches of last season with a muscular injury.
“Vitor Reis is one of the most promising young defenders in the world and we’re delighted to been able to bring him here.
“In his short time in senior football in Brazil, he has shown he has the ability to go very far in the game and we know that working with Pep and our coaches will help to get the best out of him.
“He is excellent on the ball and outstanding in the air – he has all the attributes needed to be one of the best.” – Man City Director of Football Txiki Begiristain
THE FPL PROSPECTS
Reis looks to be a classy, assured defender in the mould of John Stones (£5.3m) who can play in a variety of positions and is calm when closed down under pressure. At 19, he is still very young and will probably need time to acclimatise to his new surroundings, even if compatriots Savinho (£6.5m) and Ederson (£5.3m) should help him to settle.
With Walker AC Milan-bound, Guardiola may decide to deploy Reis at right-back, where he could play on the right of a back three or invert to join with building attacks in midfield. Reis’ passing numbers are not as strong as his aerial stats, but they are impressive, as is his press resistance, and his former coach believes he will adapt to Pep’s needs in no time.
“I believe he will have no trouble adapting to the City system because here in the youth teams he was always exposed to playing under risk, having to be involved in the build-up play while also defending efficiently, even in one-on-one situations.” – Palmeiras’ under-20 coach Lucas Andrade on BBC Sport.
Vitor Reiz progressive pass map 2004
Graphic courtesy of totalfootballanalysis.com
Guardiola has a tendency not to throw young players in at the deep end without giving them first a lengthy apprenticeship. Even the Premier League-proven Jack Grealish (£6.4m) took his time to be moulded into shape.
That said, Man City’s needs must. They have been porous at the back this season (they rank ninth for goals conceded) and Pep may decide the requirement to defend crosses and swift breaks through the chasm that once was a world-class central midfield, outweighs the usual practise of nurturing his stars of the future. He is also only an injury or two away from having to break glass in case of emergency defender anyway.
It has also been interesting to see the City camp hint that the players they are signing should be ready to roll straight away.
“Vitor is very young, but his quality is so high that we believe he can help us now and for a long time into the future.” – Man City Director of Football Txiki Begiristain
As with Khusanov, FPL managers will just have to wait and see whether Guardiola is prepared to break his normal rules and blood his new charges immediately to prevent this strange season from unravelling further.
Even if so, the more experienced Khusanov will likely be ahead of Reis in the pecking order at first.
