Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola praised the reaction of Abdukodir Khusanov's team-mates to lift the young Uzbek after a nightmare introduction to the Premier League in Saturday's 3-1 win over Chelsea.
The 20-year-old, who joined from Lens for a reported £34 million ($42 million) this week, gifted Chelsea the opening goal, scored by Noni Madueke, with a poor header after just three minutes. Khusanov was then booked and lucky to avoid a red card for chopping down Cole Palmer before he was replaced early in the second half by John Stones.
But he was warmly embraced by Guardiola and his fellow players on the bench and supported by the City fans as he trudged off the pitch. "I thought 'not the best start'," said Guardiola, reacting to the opening minutes. "But dealing with (Nicolas) Jackson, with Cole, with all these incredible players, it's not easy, and I loved the reaction of his mates."
Guardiola accepted his own responsibility for throwing Khusanov straight into the heart of the action due to his injury crisis in defence. Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias were again missing, while Stones' minutes were managed ahead of Wednesday's crucial Champions League clash against Club Brugge.
"I have to learn Russian or Uzbek to communicate with him because he doesn't speak English fluently. But listen, in this kind of situation, there's nothing much to say. He knows he made a mistake," Guardiola said. "What can I say? 'Don't do a mistake'. He doesn't want to do it. We know that. The reaction to the match was amazing. I made the substitution for John, mainly for the yellow card. Not just for the mistake. Especially, I need John for Wednesday."