Former Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre says that he’d take new Inter Milan defender Manuel Akanji over Benjamin Pavard.
The Swiss coach spoke to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview in today’s print edition, via FCInterNews.
Inter Milan signed defender Manuel Akanji from Manchester City on deadline day.
The Nerazzurri also loaned defender Benjamin Pavard to Marseille in the final hours of the transfer window. Therefore, Akanji was the player they identified as a replacement for the Frenchman.
Akanji certainly arrives with the same kind of pedigree as Pavard.
The Swiss international has spent the last three years with Manchester City. He has won the Premier League title twice, and also helped the Cityzens to the Treble in his first season at the club.
Furthermore, Akanji had previously played in the Champions League for the likes of Basel and Borussia Dortmund.
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 02: Manuel Akanji of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC at Emirates Stadium on February 02, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Lucien Favre worked with Manuel Akanji at Borussia Dortmund.
Asked whether he’d take the Swiss international or the player he replaced Benjamin Pavard, Favre replied “I’d go with Akanji out of the two of them.”
“With him in the team, Inter have two tactical weapons.”
“That’s how Chivu can make the difference,” Favre argued. “Bastoni and Akanji both have the feet of a midfielder.”
“Manuel is also like a computer,” the former Dortmund coach added. “With the ball at his feet, he always knows what to do and how to feed it to the strikers.”
Favre stated that Akanji’s “specialty is breaking the opposition lines and creating superiority.”
And as far as whether he sees Akanji as a right-back or a pure centre-back, Favre claimed that “more than the formation, it’s the interpretation that matters.”
“When he starts on the right he’ll have more opportunities to push forward,” the coach noted.
