Man City defender Akanji feels revitalized after Pep's gesture

Akanji attributes his newfound motivation for the upcoming season to taking an extended break.

“I was really happy about the break the manager gave us,” said Akanji.

“The manager gave us a lot of time off and that was really important for me as well. I think I played the most amount of games I have in a year.

“I think it was 62 games which is quite a lot and I wasn’t used to it.

“To be fair I felt really good at the Euros and then I had a really good time off with my family and I enjoyed that time a lot.

“Now I am back and as soon as you get back here you get into the feeling again of winning games, especially when you start the season in this way (winning the Community Shield), you want to go again game after game.

“The most important thing is to stay healthy because when you’re not healthy you cannot perform. 

“On the pitch that is something I also learnt a lot about myself. I try to do the most as possible for my body to be there in every game and every training session.

“It feels good when you can be there, when you can help your teammates, when you can just perform and do what you love the most.

“I am looking forward to it.”