Manuel Akanji was a Man United fan since his childhood.
The defender moved to the Etihad this summer and signed a five-year deal with the Cityzens.
He spent four seasons at the Bundesliga and made a total of 158 appearances and once expressed his desire to play for Man United back in 2018.
But he admits that he is no longer a fan after his move to rivals Manchester City.
“I said I was a Manchester United fan growing up, but that when you reach a certain level as a player, you’re no longer a fan, because you play against such clubs and you don’t support this club like you did,” Akanji told Blick Sport.
“I was then also asked what my goal was. I said I would eventually play for the best club in the world. From this, it was concluded I considered Manchester United to be the best club in the world and I really wanted to play [for them] one day, which I never said…”
The defender added: “When I came to FC Basel, I played in the Champions League and against Manchester United. When the idols became rivals, I got to a point where I stopped being a fan and wanted to do my own job well enough to beat teams like Manchester United.
“[I am looking forward] to the Manchester derby [the most]. Beating Man United in your own city would be great.”
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