Rayan Aït-Nouri

Key strength: Pace and recovery

Overlapping full-back

Patrolling Manchester City's left flank as the champions sit 2nd in the Premier League table, 24-year-old Algerian international Rayan Aït-Nouri has carved out an increasingly vital role in Pep Guardiola's star-studded machine. With 2 assists from 10 appearances and 601 minutes of action, the £40m-rated left-back is proving to be an astute long-term investment tied down until 2030. Aït-Nouri brings a modern, overlapping full-back profile to City's backline, seamlessly blending defensive discipline with attacking ambition. While his overall rating of 45 reflects room for growth, his defensive awareness (55 defending, 55 physical) provides the positional solidity Guardiola demands alongside defensive titans Rúben Dias and Josko Gvardiol. Operating behind world-class protection from Gianluigi Donnarumma, Aït-Nouri transforms City's left side into an attacking outlet, his 45 pace and 40 dribbling enabling him to support the build-up and stretch opposition defenses. With just 2 yellow cards across his 10 outings, he demonstrates the tactical intelligence required at the elite level. As Manchester City navigate their title challenge, Aït-Nouri's evolution from promising talent to established Premier League full-back continues to accelerate—his jersey number 21 increasingly synonymous with reliability on the champions' left flank.