By Sean Fisher

22nd Oct, 2023 | 3:44pm

'Best news of the week' - Man City fans have surprise reactions to confirmed Akanji news

Many Man City were delighted on social media that Manuel Akanji will play no part in their Manchester derby clash next week after his red card.

The 28-year-old was sent off late into City’s clash against Brighton on Saturday after picking up two yellow cards.

Pep Guardiola’s side secured all three points with a 2-1 win over the Seagulls thanks to early goals from Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland.

Ansu Fati’s goal in the second half made for a tense ending after the Barcelona loanee scored from a poor clearance from Akanji inside his own 18-yard box.

City now sit top of the Premier League table after nine games, and a trip to archrivals Man United is on the horizon next Sunday.

Akanji’s dismissal this weekend means he is set to miss the derby clash through suspension, although a surprisingly large number of City fans on social media were glad to hear that the £15million signing will play no part in the match.

He is a regular member of Pep Guardiola’s starting XI, with seven Premier League starts among his 12 appearances in all competitions this season, and has been described as a “magnificent player” by his manager.

But many fans were delighted at the news of his absence, with one describing his clearance on Saturday as ‘woeful’.

This fan went as far as calling Akanji’s suspension the ‘best news of the week’…

This supporter called into question Guardiola’s decision to start Akanji given his ‘howlers’ in defence.

The criticism towards Guardiola didn’t end there, with this fan accusing the Spaniard of ‘pretending he’s something he isn’t’.

Akanji’s ‘silly’ yellow card offence has also made this fan pleased about his suspension.

This fan is glad City will be without their ‘worst defender’ next week.

In other news, Man City may not keep Kevin De Bruyne – and this is why