Feyenoord director tells star he's selling him to Manchester City, following star turn at the Etihad
Manchester City were the victims of a memorable comeback, with Dennis te Kloese claiming Feyenoord's matchwinner is capable of the Premier League
Feyenoord's memorable draw against Manchester City in the Champions League is likely to live long in the memory.
Trailing 3-0 to the reigning Premier League champions with just 15 minutes left to go, Brian Priske's side did the unthinkable, snatching a point at the Etihad Stadium by scoring three times thanks to goals from Santiago Gimenez, David Hancko and one other star.
The unknown 22-year-old Algerian set the ball rolling and was later named UEFA's Man of the Match for his performance. Something of a hidden gem, Feyenoord's director Dennis te Kloese told the former Vitesse loanee he is now ready for the Premier League – but is he?
Feyenoord director says Anis Hadj-Moussa is Premier League ready
After lighting the blue touch paper, Anis Hadj-Moussa drew plaudits from his Feyenoord teammates and staff, with Te Kloese meeting with him in the tunnel after the full-time whistle.
According to Telegraaf, a jovial conversation took place regarding his future and a potential move to the Premier League. "Whoa, whoa, not in this dressing room you", said Te Kloese. "You have to go to the next door."
“But that’s the Manchester City dressing room,” said Hadj Moussa. “Yes, I just sold you,” replied the Feyenoord chief.
Te Kloese is said to have laughed as he delivered his quip. Hadj Moussa joined Feyenoord from Belgian second-division side Patro Eisden in the summer for just £2.9m. Could his next move be to England?
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
The Champions League can act as a perfect showcase for young players trying to make it in the game, especially those who play in leagues across Europe that don't get as much television coverage.
"I can say now that Anis came to me a while ago and we had a conversation," said Feyenoord boss Priske after the full-time whistle. "He thought he didn't get enough minutes. Then I honestly told him that he had to prove that he was better than his competitor. Well, he showed it and that's why he's playing."
In FourFourTwo's view, Hadj-Moussa will have to do much more in order to earn a move to the Premier League but at 22 he is well-positioned to kick on. Not many better leagues provide you with opportunities than the Eredivisie and we will watch his development with baited breath.
For Manchester City, their rot continues and with Liverpool up next in the Premier League, it could get a whole lot worse for Pep Guardiola's side.
Matthew is a Freelance Journalist and has racked up bylines for Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, GOAL and SPORTbible to name a few. A long-term sufferer of Scunthorpe United, he currently resides in the north-west after escaping the smog of North Lincolnshire.