'He doesn't..' - Pep Guardiola's funny reply to a witty question about Khusanov in the press conference

Pep Guardiola expressed confidence in Abdukodir Khusanov’s potential to recover from his forgettable debut with Manchester City against Chelsea, which came after limited training.

The 20-year-old defender, recently acquired from Lens for £34 million faced a tough time starting at the Etihad Stadium with minimal preparation. Despite his evident nerves, Khusanov has the skills to develop into a key player for the team. His early miscalculation, a header back to goalkeeper Ederson that was intercepted by Nicolas Jackson—allowed Noni Madueke to score and put Chelsea ahead just three minutes into the match.

The young Uzbekistan international's difficulties escalated shortly after when a reckless challenge on Cole Palmer resulted in a deserved yellow card. VAR reviewed the incident for a potential red card, but after a swift assessment, play resumed without further sanction.

Pep Guardiola expressed his opinion on Khusanov

In his interview with Match of the Day following the match, Guardiola praised his choice to start Khusanov, highlighting the valuable learning experiences that arise from such situations. When questioned about whether he had discussed Khusanov’s mistake directly, Guardiola noted that language barriers made immediate communication difficult.

"It is not easy for him, he trains once and then to play against Jackson and Cole and Madueke and Sancho. It is a process when you buy a player this young. He will learn. These kinds of actions are the best lesson you can take." Pep said.

"He doesn't speak English so I didn't speak to him, he'll be fine. He only made one or two training sessions. I didn't want to push John returning from injury - with Wednesday's game. The players were together. That was massively important. Any player can make a mistake. The fans always support the new players. He's so young. He will learn." Pep added.

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