"Well, he was not expected to play as much games," admitted Pep Guardiola on Friday. But Manchester City's season has defied expectations - and not always in positive ways. The signing of Abdukodir Khusanov looked like it would be another gamble gone wrong, or at least another example of fate and luck working against them in tandem, and scuppering long-term plans. His nightmare debut against Chelsea couldn't have gone any worse, yet almost every step since then has been a comeback of dreams. Khusanov, 21, is already a fan favourite and Guardiola can barely contain his smile whenever asked about the young Uzbek who cannot speak English. Khusanov has struck up friendships with fellow January arrival Vitor Reis, City academy graduate Phil Foden and - curiously - veteran goalkeeper Scott Carson. The early signs suggest City's £33.6m investment was worth the gamble. Khusanov has a 'special quality' according to Guardiola, a useful turn of pace, and a passion that has impressed his manager to cut through the language barrier. However, they could have saved an awful lot of money had they spotted him two years earlier at the under-20 World Cup. Still playing in Belarus, Khusanov impressed for his country and earned a transfer to RC Lens for just £84,000. City would pay exactly 400 times more than that 18 months later. One scout at that World Cup was Cenk Cetin, travelling to Argentina at the start of his scouting career. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , Cenk highlighted Khusanov's aerial ability, positioning and 'excellent' timing. "In the four matches he played throughout the tournament, he gained a clear superiority over his opponents in aerial duels," he said. "In addition to being physically strong, he possesses excellent acceleration, and his combination of speed and agility is a significant advantage against opposing forwards. In particular his performance in the round of 16 against Israel, his ability to read the game and position himself, as well as his ball recovery and interventions in 1v1 situations against players like Anan Khalaili and Tay Abed, who are both physically and technically strong, made Khusanov one of the best individual performers of the 2023 U20 World Cup." Cenk added that Khusanov's leadership abilities in the tournament stood out, as did the character that Guardiola now sees. "Over time, he will overcome the language barrier and, under Pep's mentorship, will transform into an even more elite player, becoming an important player for City for many years," he added. As well as standing out in Ligue 1, Khusanov has become an important face for the Uzbekistan senior team, playing 20 times in two-and-a-half seasons including at last summer's Olympics. He dropped back down to the under-23s before that for Asian Cup qualifying, grabbing an assist in a crucial win over Iran before seeing red late on. That is the aggression Guardiola has referenced - when he goes for a challenge that maybe he shouldn't. It's helped him progress from young talent to a key player for his country already, and City will teach him how best to control that emotion. It's no surprise, then, that when he returned to Tashkent last week for the first time since his big move, he did so as a celebrity, earning a fancy Mercedes as a gift and delivering a City shirt to the country's Prime Minister (as well as a big-budget proposal to his now-fiancee). When City put Khusanov up for the recent Player of the Month award, he deservedly won the vote and did so with more votes than any player in club history. There is a notable boost in engagement whenever City post anything around Khusanov on social media thanks to his hoards of fans in his homeland - with the number of Khusanov posts reflecting a recognition from the club at the untapped market in Uzbekistan. There has been a steep surge in ticket sales from Uzbekistan - presumably from very little - as Khusanov became the first player from his country to play in the Premier League . And Cenk notes a growing population in the country of 35 million people as a reason to look further into their untapped football potential "Central Asian countries are the only region among former Soviet countries with a growing population," he says. "They are much more invested in sports and football compared to the Far East of the continent, and they have become an alternative market in football. Thanks to players like Khusanov and Dastan Satpaev, this interest will increase exponentially in the coming years." City may first look at Khusanov's unexpected start to life at the Etihad - and their 35 million new fans in Uzbekistan - and then look a little more closer at that market in future. It could save them millions, with Khusanov's 400 per cent rise in value in just 18 months is a testament to that.