Nathan Ake sends starting XI warning to fellow Manchester City centre-backs following season start

Manchester City centre-back Nathan Ake hopes to retain his starting spot moving forward after a good performance on Sunday against West Ham.

Ake, who was paired alongside Ruben Dias at the heart of the Manchester City defence, held down the Hammers’ offence, limiting their opposition to just six shots with only two on target.

However, West Ham did prove to be quite the challenge for City’s back-four, after the London-side created a lot of early pressure.

The Dutch defender discussed the threat after the match, explaining that even though it was a difficult start to the game, City's players kept their composure and played their style of football.

“The first few minutes were very tough.

Nathan Ake challenges West Ham's Michail Antonio for the ball. (PA Images / Alamy)

"We needed to keep our cool, keep the ball and try and play our game.

"I think we did,” said Nathan Ake.

The 27 year-old made his way into Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up for the fourth consecutive game, after starting in all pre-season matches during the team’s tour of the United States, as well as the Community Shield against Liverpool.

Throughout the tour of the United States, Ake was slotted in due to the absence of John Stones, who stayed behind and toured with the club's EDS in Europe.

John Stones speaking to the press while on international duty with England.

The Dutchman may continue to find himself in the starting line-up, as another Manchester City centre-back in Aymeric Laporte is expected to be out for the first month of the season, after the Spaniard underwent knee surgery in the summer.

The Spain international could be out for the Cityzens’ games against Bournemouth, Newcastle, Barcelona, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest.

These are all fixtures in which Nathan Ake could now start if his performances hold, as they did on Sunday afternoon.

Ake himself is looking to start in these fixtures, further explaining, "As a player you want to play as many games as possible.”

Such starts are important for Ake, as looks to keep in form for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, which is set to take place in November and December 2022.

The Dutchman is excited to prove himself in the coming weeks so he can find a spot in Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal’s squad, but still sees a third straight Premier League title as his main focus.

“Obviously the World Cup is coming soon, so you have to perform for your club to go to the World Cup.

"But at the moment I'm fully focused on City," he closed.