Akanji expressed his delight after playing his first 90 minutes of football in over three months during the goalless draw with Southampton in the final game of the season as he recovered from an abductor injury he picked up against Real Madrid in mid-February. Now, the defender is straight back into action with the rest of the squad as they prepare for the Club World Cup.
The controversial 32-team tournament kicks off in the USA next weekend and will feature teams from around the world. City will face Wydad Casablanca, Al-Ain and Serie A giants Juventus in Orlando in the group stages before facing a range of other sides if they progress further. Despite the tournament sounding exciting to neutral fans, Akanji blasted the competition ahead of Switzerland’s clash with face in an upcoming friendly.
"I have been a strong critic of this competition for some time now. We players would love to have some holidays, and some time for our bodies to rest.
"My City teammates are not exactly overjoyed about the tournament either. But it's now right in our faces, and there is nothing we can do about it.
"If we take part, then of course we want to win it. But if we reach the final, then the time period for us to recover ahead of the new season will become even shorter."
More games equals more injuries and as players are forced to play throughout the summer instead of taking time off players such as Akanji run the risk of picking up a strain or a knock that could destroy the start of next season. This is something manager Pep Guardiola will not want as he aims to sign assets such as Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders so his squad may rotate and avoid further injury.