The first half of this season was not easy for Uzbekistan national team defender Abdukkodir Kusanov. Due to a series of injuries, he lost his spot in the starting lineup, once considered an “iron” player, and his playing practice decreased, and there was even a time when he was “away from the field.”

But there’s one thing that always goes right in soccer. That means opportunities come from unexpected places. The 21-year-old Uzbek captain took on the responsibility at the most difficult moment after Josep Guardiola’s side’s defensive centres, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Yoshko Guardiol, were injured. He has become an important part of the team’s system, playing in the middle of the defensive line in recent games as a “relief person who comes out at critical moments.”

This opinion is backed up by fan opinion, with reports that Kusanov was named January’s player of the month in a survey of Manchester City fans, which shows just how highly rated he is. In short, he is hiding his doubts about himself “on the field.”

Despite this, another unexpected event occurred during the winter transfer window. Two Premier League clubs have reportedly come to City’s door to sign Abdukhodir. This was reported by journalist Kamil Fishbach, who works with sources such as Foot365, Sport.fr, Foot Marseille, Daily Mercato, Top Mercato and WE Sport.

Another source, Sports Boom, claims that Everton are considering a permanent transfer option for Kusanov. The Merseyside club are said to have acted on the logic that leading defender Jarrad Branthwaite needed a worthy replacement. Reference to loan plans linked to Jack Grealish also suggests the club’s plans are “long-term”. Although Everton failed to achieve their target in the winter, they reportedly intend to continue this effort during the summer transfer window.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth’s plans took a different turn. The club reportedly sold Ghanaian striker Antoine Semeno to the Citizens this winter for a total of around 75 million euros, including bonuses. It is now said that he has put his connections with Manchester United to good use and applied for a loan for Kusanov. Andoni Iraola’s side have not yet given up on this candidate and the issue could be back on the table this summer.

According to authoritative sources, City’s management considered both offers but said they had no intention of parting ways with the Uzbek footballer. At the same time, analysts say Guardiola will not easily agree to the departure of Kusanov, who has energized the team during difficult times.

There is only one conclusion: It looks like Abdukhodir’s season has just begun. First of all, he recovered from his injury, grabbed his chances and now he has remained calm even amidst the transfer rumors. If he can maintain this spirit and consistency, there may be more rumors in the summer, but one thing is clear this time around. That means it’s becoming increasingly difficult to talk about Husanov as “remaining on the bench.”

Read “Zamin” on Telegram!