Akanji jokes he 'may retire at 30' due to workload

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji has joked he whitethorn person to discontinue astatine 30 because of nan relentless fixture schedule.

Akanji - who is 29 - has played 127 games for nine and state since joining City 2 years agone this month.

The Switzerland centre-back has made 7 appearances this season, including nan Community Shield and 2 successful nan Nations League, having played his last crippled past play connected 6 July erstwhile England knocked his state retired of nan European Championship.

Akanji will beryllium portion of nan City squad who unfastened their run successful nan expanded Champions League against Inter Milan connected Wednesday, a repetition of nan 2023 final.

It is 1 of 8 first-phase games - pinch City facing Sporting Lisbon, Juventus and Paris St-Germain among others - which could beryllium followed by a play-off, moreover earlier nan past 16 begins.

City will besides compete successful nan 32-team Club World Cup successful nan United States, which ends connected 13 July, conscionable 4 weeks earlier nan apt commencement day of nan 2025-26 Premier League campaign, which will beryllium followed by nan World Cup.

"It's truthful tough," said Akanji.

"You don't conscionable deliberation astir this play - but besides adjacent season. Let's opportunity we triumph nan convention aliases cup, past spell to nan last of nan Club World Cup; nan Community Shield is 3 weeks after. So erstwhile do we person holidays?

"There are nary breaks successful winter, truthful if we are fortunate we get 2 weeks and past we request to beryllium backmost and into adjacent season.

"Then nan adjacent summertime it's nan World Cup. There's nary extremity to it."

Akanji's comments will onslaught a chord pinch nan Professional Footballers' Association, who are threatening ineligible action against world governing assemblage Fifa for an alleged refusal to discuss complete nan Club World Cup.

The Premier League has besides joined nan ineligible action, amid a position that has been articulated successful backstage that Fifa want nan awesome home leagues successful Europe to beryllium reduced to a azygous 18 teams.

"It's conscionable crippled aft crippled and I don't cognize really it will activity retired complete nan adjacent mates of years," Akanji continued.

"You can't conscionable support adding crippled aft crippled and presume everything will beryllium for illustration it was. You person to deliberation astir nan players arsenic well.

"At immoderate constituent you'll beryllium excessively tired to play immoderate much games.

"And past travel injuries, definitely. We train arsenic difficult arsenic imaginable and we are fresh – but location has to beryllium a limit.

"Maybe I'll discontinue astatine 30!"