Sheffield United defender Anel Ahmedhodzic has admitted that he would 'like to play for Manchester City in the future' having followed the club since the age of 10.
The 23-year-old joined the Blades from Swedish giants Malmo last summer and has since established himself as a first-team regular under Paul Heckingbottom.
Ahmedhodzic has started 31 of his 33 appearances for Sheffield United across all competitions this term, and has chipped with five goals at Bramall Lane.
The 6ft 3in centre-back has helped the West Yorkshire outfit challenge for a return to the Premier League, with Heckingbottom's men sitting second in the Championship table with nine games remaining.
Ahmedhodzic has also played every minute of Sheffield United's FA Cup campaign and will soon prepare for a semi-final trip to Wembley to face none other than Man City.
Ahmedhodzic is soon set to return to Bramall Lane after representing Bosnia-Herzegovina during this month's international break, earning his 19th and 20th caps in Euro 2024 qualifiers against Iceland and Slovakia respectively.
The defender was joined in the squad by former Man City striker and national icon Edin Dzeko, who won two Premier League titles and scored 72 goals during a five-and-a-half year spell at the Etihad Stadium between January 2011 and August 2016.
Ahmedhodzic has revealed that he grew up watching Dzeko play for the Citizens and has admitted that he would like to follow in the footsteps of the 37-year-old by moving to the Etihad at some stage of his career.
Speaking to NOVA BH during the international break, as quoted by CityXtra, Ahmedhodzic said: "Well since I was about 10 years old, and Edin Dzeko started playing for Manchester City, I've always followed City.
"After Dzeko, my favourite player was Yaya Toure. Since then, I've watched Manchester City every time they play. That means I'd like to play for City in the future. I love the football they play."
Ahmedhodzic recently received high praise from former England striker Alan Shearer, who believes the defender will play in the Premier League next season regardless as to whether Sheffield United are promoted or not.
"I don't think it's wrong for me to say if Sheffield United are not playing in the Premier League next season, I think this guy will be. I think he's that good," Shearer told BBC Sport prior to the Blades' 1-0 FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month.
"He plays in a very similar role to how Chris [Wilder] wanted his team and his defenders to play in terms of defensively given the freedom to get into forward positions.
"I think he's a really good talent and I'll go back to my point, he will be playing in the Premier League next season."
At Sheffield United, Ahmedhodzic is playing alongside Man City loanees James McAtee and Tommy Doyle, who have both gained regular first-team experience at Bramall Lane this season.
However, the midfield duo will not be able to walk out at Wembley when the Blades face Pep Guardiola's side at Wembley on April 22 as they are both ineligible to play against their parent club. body check tags ::
