Football
ESPN staff 6y

Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi extends contract until 2022

Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi has signed a contract extension, committing him to the Premier League leaders until 2022.

Otamendi, 29, has made 28 appearances for the club so far this season, including 22 league starts.

"What I like the most about City and Manchester is my life here," he said. "I'm a family man, I like to spend my time at home with my family and with my extended family when they visit. You get hooked in by the city and I'm enjoying it. This is a very beautiful city.

"At the club, I'm really enjoying my experience since the first day I got here. I'm very happy to be staying here a couple more years."

The former Porto and Valencia centre-back has been a key part of City's mean defence this season -- only local rivals Manchester United have conceded fewer in the league -- but it is Otamendi's distribution in manager Pep Guardiola's passing style that has earned him attention.

"I think that now I have an important role because the central defenders have to build-up with the ball and make the team work as best as we can," he said. "Pep has taught to us how to do that. From the first day you work with him you learn from him... even being at home you're still learning from him. Every movement, how you need to be positioned, how you can receive

The Argentina international has already scored five goals so far this season, and is looking to surpass his personal best this term.

He said: "You always want to break your own records. When I was playing at Valencia I scored six goals, and my aim is to reach that amount of goals again, but my main aim is to defend and then if I score goals they are also welcome. The most important thing, as an individual and a member of a group too, is to help the team as best as I can, giving all I have.

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