Manchester City defender Nathan Ake speaks on his new contract extension which will see him stay at the club until 2027
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00:00 Nathan, congratulations on your new deal.
00:02 Just sum up for us how this feels and what it means to you and your family.
00:07 Yeah, it feels amazing.
00:09 You know, the first moment I came here, I really enjoyed the club.
00:14 It felt really good.
00:16 So, yeah, to be able to extend a few more years is a proud moment for me,
00:21 my family and all the moments where I've worked hard for.
00:25 What made this the right decision for you to stay for longer?
00:30 I think, to be honest, it was an easy decision.
00:33 I'm so happy here.
00:36 I think especially the last couple of years for me personally have been very good,
00:40 very progressing.
00:42 Working with this manager, the people above it, the backroom staff,
00:48 everyone is such high quality and so nice.
00:51 I just enjoy every day to be here and then to be able to renew your contract
00:56 and to stay even longer I think is a no-brainer.
00:59 You're coming off your best season for City,
01:01 you played predominantly at left-back,
01:03 but obviously you played most of your career at centre-back.
01:06 As we sit here today, what would you say is your principal, primary position?
01:11 Yeah, I think from today I can probably say left-back.
01:18 But, as I said in different interviews, it's a bit of both roles.
01:23 You're building up a little bit as a centre-back,
01:26 but then also have the licence to go forward,
01:28 and defensively most of the time as a left-back.
01:31 So I think it's a perfect position for me,
01:34 also because when I was younger I used to play left-back a few times.
01:39 I like it, I enjoy it, I've grown into it over the season, I think last season,
01:44 and now I understand it much better and better,
01:46 I think there's still room for improvements,
01:49 and I'm working on that, so there's so much more to come.
01:52 You've got a really good relationship with the City fans,
01:55 you finished third in the Etihad Player of the Season vote this year.
01:58 Do you feel that love and connection with the fans,
02:02 and how does that help you when you're out there on the pitch?
02:05 Yeah, you feel that, first of all, as you said,
02:08 to be voted third is crazy with the amount of top, top players we have in the squad,
02:14 and what kind of season everyone had last year,
02:16 so I really appreciate that from the fans.
02:20 As you said, I think I feel it, the message I get when I walk on the street,
02:24 the people who come up to you and say nice things,
02:27 I have good conversations with the people.
02:30 Many times you hear people say they've been lifelong fans,
02:34 and then being around this period, winning the trophies,
02:40 that's nice things to hear from fans.
02:43 I just feel the connection in that way,
02:46 and that helps certainly on the pitch when you go into the Etihad,
02:51 I think the whole season they've supported us so well,
02:54 and I think as you can see it helps on the pitch for everyone.
02:57 You mentioned there the depth of quality we've got in the squad,
03:03 the competition for places is really high,
03:05 but last season you were trusted, Pep played you a lot,
03:09 why do you think that is, what do you think he sees in you that makes him trust you so much?
03:14 I don't know, I think everyone here needs to fight for their spot,
03:20 I had to do the same, and last year it became a moment
03:24 where I was playing a few games in a row, it was going well,
03:28 I think maybe I saw the progression,
03:31 and at one point it was just fitting in, everything went well,
03:35 I felt myself grow in every game,
03:39 and with that the manager gave me trust,
03:42 and I think that boosted my confidence even more,
03:44 and from there on it just went upwards.
03:47 The only thing I can do is keep working hard,
03:52 keep trying to implement the things he wants for me as a player, as a person,
03:56 and then you're going to have competition every day,
03:59 but then it's up to you how you deal with that,
04:03 and how you're going to improve and help the manager and the team to win things.
04:07 Pep is seen as the best coach in the world, maybe the best of all time,
04:11 what have you learned from him since you've been here over the course of these three years?
04:15 Everything, really.
04:18 I think you see football from a different perspective,
04:22 the way he explains things on the board, with videos,
04:27 the way he sees football, that's grown so much on me,
04:32 and I think that's why the first season took a little bit of time,
04:36 also with injuries and stuff, maybe to adapt to that, to learn to that,
04:41 but I think once you've got it, you've got it, because he explains it so well,
04:45 he's so clear, and just the tactical things he sees when he explains it,
04:52 and actually coming out in the games as well,
04:54 it gives you an extra few seconds in the game knowing what the movement is going to be,
04:59 where my teammates are going to be, because we've trained that,
05:02 and he's shown where the spaces are.
05:05 I don't have to say much more about him, he's won everything he can,
05:12 he's built this team to be competitive every season,
05:16 and I hope we can continue that.
05:19 Quite a few players tend to improve after their first year with Pep
05:23 and start to play better football,
05:25 do you give that advice to new players who come into this squad,
05:28 to say, 'Look, if you struggle a little bit at first, give it time,
05:31 and eventually you're going to improve a lot'?
05:34 Yeah, if maybe people are having a little bit more of a difficult season,
05:40 then I tend to speak to them,
05:43 trying to say that loads of people from my team have been there,
05:48 I've been there myself, where it seems very tough at that moment,
05:52 you come into a new team, you want to do really well straight away,
05:56 but then maybe setbacks with injuries, or playing time, or all kinds of stuff,
06:02 might hinder the first season,
06:06 and I think when you start to say that to people who have just come,
06:12 maybe that gives them a little bit more breathing space,
06:16 a bit more time and confidence that the season after might be going really well.
06:21 We can't sit down and talk and not discuss the treble,
06:24 it's nice to reflect on that a little bit,
06:26 now that there's been some time since it was completed in Istanbul,
06:30 are you aware of the magnitude of it, and has it sunk in properly?
06:35 Sometimes, yes, sometimes no, it's difficult.
06:39 Sometimes I'm trying to look back at videos,
06:42 because I think you can say the same, it just went all so quick,
06:45 that day, that week, it just flies over,
06:49 and then suddenly we're an international team,
06:51 and suddenly there's holidays, and you don't see each other for a while.
06:56 But yeah, I always try to look back at pictures and see what we have done,
07:00 because it's not just every season you do something like this.
07:03 But yeah, 100 per cent my best season,
07:07 my most memorable season for the club, for myself,
07:11 and it's something I want to relive again, for sure.
07:15 When you came to City, did you expect it to be as positive and as satisfying
07:20 as it has been for you since you came here?
07:22 That's always what you hope for, I think.
07:24 If you come to a new club, you always want it to be like it's going now.
07:29 But as I said before, with the setback in the first season,
07:32 it becomes tough, where you're trying to see the positive,
07:35 and you're trying to see where it's going to end,
07:37 but I think the second season it went already better,
07:41 the third season it went much, much better,
07:45 so I'm actually where I want to be right now.
07:50 I'm super satisfied, I'm super happy,
07:52 and I know there's still much more to come.
07:55 You've committed now until 2027,
07:58 how much do you think you can improve from this point onwards?
08:01 I think still loads.
08:04 I think first of all, as now I'm playing in a bit of a different position,
08:10 maybe I can bring a little bit more forward as well.
08:13 I know my main objective is defending and trying to keep clean sheets and stuff,
08:19 but I think that's where we can make a little bit of improvements
08:23 to see when is the moment when you can actually go forward,
08:26 and when is the moment where, like normal,
08:29 you have to be a bit more defensively and a bit more secure
08:32 to let the rest of the team do their stuff.
08:35 I think there can be improvements made on that.
08:38 There's always little things also with the team,
08:43 maybe the way we're playing, where does he want me to be exactly,
08:49 all little things tactically we can implement,
08:52 and I think it can only grow over the years for sure.
08:55 And finally, having won the treble, how does this squad ensure that our level doesn't dip
09:00 and that we continue to win and challenge for trophies?
09:04 I think it's not too difficult,
09:09 because everyone's got the mentality of going again, going again, going again.
09:13 Last season is last season, it was a great season,
09:16 but this is a new season, everyone wants to challenge for titles,
09:21 all the other teams have improved a lot and they want to take the titles off us.
09:27 So I think naturally, in everyone there comes an instinct and mentality
09:33 of 'OK, we're going to do it again, we want to do it again,
09:36 and we're going to fight for that and not just give the titles away like that.'
09:40 So I'm sure everyone is feeling the same,
09:43 and I think the last few games already and pre-season we've been working hard,
09:48 and I think people have shown already that we're still ready to run
09:52 and still ready to give everything to bring success to this team.
09:56 Nathan, congratulations on your new deal, everyone is delighted,
09:59 and good luck for the new season.
10:00 Cheers, thank you very much.
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