Manuel Akanji has admitted that he would love to play with a player who is currently playing for Chelsea.

Some might naturally assume that the answer is Cole Palmer.

However, Akanji did train and play with Palmer at Manchester City.

As a result, perhaps the £15 million man would not be stunned to see the 21-year-old score 20 goals in the Premier League this season.

The Englishman is tied with Erling Haaland as the league’s joint-highest goalscorer.

Unlike those outside the Manchester City camp who would have questioned how successful Chelsea’s decision to sign Palmer would be, he must have seen his natural talent first-hand.

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Akanji says he would love to play with one Chelsea player

One player at Stamford Bridge who Manuel Akanji missed out on the chance to play with is Raheem Sterling.

Sterling left City in the summer of 2022 when the Swiss international made his way to the Etihad Stadium.

The four-time Premier League winner’s stock has plummeted since his exit from Manchester.

However, under Pep Guardiola’s guidance, the former Liverpool speedster was one of the best wingers in Europe and arguably England’s best player alongside Harry Kane.

Many would even claim that Raheem Sterling is a Manchester City legend, even if he left the club to sign for one of their domestic rivals.

However, Akanji was not referring to the Kingston-born wideman.

During The Official Man City Podcast, Manuel Akanji was asked to name which centre-back from the past or present he would love to partner at the back and he picked Thiago Silva.

“I might say Thiago Silva. I’m still a big fan of him, he’s still at a high level and around the time when he was at AC Milan, he was one of my favourite centre-backs to play at the time”, he said.

Manuel Akanji also named Sergio Ramos but if he had to name one, he would choose Thiago Silva.

“Sergio Ramos was also probably one of the greatest centre-backs that ever played but if I had to pick one, I would probably say Thiago Silva.”

Manuel Akanji and Thiago Silva would be a brilliant duo

Even if Thiago Silva is not the force of nature he was even a season ago, a partnership between him and Manuel Akanji would be a sight to behold.

Silva’s athleticism has declined to an extent, which is natural, considering he is 39 years old.

But Akanji’s pace would allow the Brazilian international to step forward and be the front-footed defender in the partnership, with the former sweeping up any danger behind him.

If Manuel Akanji had the opportunity to play with Thiago Silva in his prime, he would learn so much from one of the best centre-backs to ever play the game.

Even now, the former PSG captain could impart his lessons on the art of defending to Akanji.

It is a shame that Manuel Akanji and Thiago Silva have never played in tandem as their intelligence, ball-playing ability and composure would make them compatible as a centre-back partnership.