SINGING IN THE REIJN

Worthy of a movie, Tijjani was pulled out of a top academy by his dad to play for part-timers in the country to get a better future deal... from the Farmers' League to Premier League

- BY SIMON MULLOCK Chief Football Writer

TIJJANI REIJNDERS is the Dutchman bringing a touch of Total Football to Manchester City - after learning his trade in a farmers' league in Holland.

Reijnders arrived at the Etihad in a £46.5million deal from AC Milan earlier this summer after being voted the best midfielder in Serie A last season.

And he scored a quite brilliant goal on his Premier League debut at Wolves earlier this month, as well as providing an assist for Erling Haaland in the 4-0 win.

But the 27-year-old learned to look after himself from the age of 16 when he was plunged into the brutal amateur environment of the Dutch fourth division.

A cost-cutting exercise at FC Twente prompted him to leave the club's academy when they axed a bus service that took Reijnders and younger brother Eliano on a 110-mile round trip to training from their hometown of Zwolle.