Throughout Yui Hasegawa’s time at Manchester City so far, swathes of tributes have been made to the combative midfielder.

The Japan international has penned a new deal at the Joie Stadium – extending her stay at the Club until 2027.   

A summer 2022 arrival from West Ham, she has been the heartbeat of Gareth Taylor’s engine room across 41 appearances in all competitions. 

During her time in sky blue, she has established herself as one of world football’s finest operators and was included in the 2023 Barclays Women’s Super League PFA Team of the Year and was nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.  

Now she has committed her future to Manchester City by furthering her stay as we compete on three fronts in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.  

In celebration of this, we have found a selection of examinations from her team-mates, coaches and pundits.  

View some of the best testimonials to Hasegawa below! 

GARETH TAYLOR  

“She’s been top class from the minute she’s come here. 

“We were aware that we lost a really good number six in Keira Walsh, but Yui’s come in and taken the team’s performances to a new level. 

“She does so much without the ball, her anticipation is top class and her quality under pressure is very high. 

“She’s a great girl to work with who has been massively accepted by the rest of the group and is really popular. 

“It’s like she’s been playing for us for the last five or ten years, there’s a real maturity to her play. 

GET YOUR HASEGAWA #25 SHIRT HERE

“Yui gives us so many things. She is a highly intelligent footballer, obviously highly capable in her technical ability. But the way she reads the game is second to none, both in and out of possession. 

“Out of possession one of the best anticipators I’ve worked with. When you’ve got that and that type of player who’s hungry and wants to learn, improve and is very coachable then the sky’s the limit.  

“We’ve been super impressed with Yui considering when you look at when she came to us. 

“She previously played at AC Milan, came to West ham and played in a more attacking midfield position.  

“The way Yui has adapted to that position and made it her own and not just that has put her up there with the top number sixes in the world. 

“I think she’s an incredible talent.” 

STEPH HOUGHTON  

“Yui’s very quiet, but unbelievable. For me, she could play anywhere in the midfield three. She’s technically unbelievable, she reads the game so well and anticipates everything. 

“As a defender, that really helps when you have someone so confident on the ball, who wants to get on the ball, defend and read different passes to help you protect the striker.  

“She’s goes about her business really quietly, but I think everybody’s talking about her which is amazing because she trains like she plays and she’s so consistent. 

“She should get all the plaudits she gets because of how hard she works.”  

SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS  

“Hasegawa. I don’t even know how to explain her football intelligence and the way she plays. The way she creates space for others on and off the ball for me is just frightening. 

“The way she plays is delightful. I’m small myself so to see someone control the flow of the game and go through the tackles like she does is great. 

“She keeps possession, plays at her own pace and sees it in her own way. She’s key to the midfield. 

IZZY CHRISTIANSEN  

“The relationship between Hasegawa and Alex Greenwood is unbelievable. The connection there, giving each other the ball without even looking, they just know where they are. 

“She’s been frightening. I was injured when we [Everton] played City [last season], but when she was at West Ham [I played against her] and was outstanding. 

“I can see why City signed her. To come in and play the six role the way she has is unbelievable.” 

CHLOE KELLY 

“Yui is just unbelievable on and off the pitch. She just brings a smile to everyone’s face whenever they see her.  

“She came in and hit the ground running straight away. I think she pretended to a few people her English was slightly off, but it’s definitely not – she knows exactly what’s going on. 

“I love her.” 

KHADIJA ‘BUNNY’ SHAW  

“She’s such a sweetheart, we always say Yui can do no wrong. 

“She’s just like a little teddy bear and we protect her so much. Sometimes she’ll do some things that amazes us and she’s a funny person but she’s such a sweetheart.” 

ESME MORGAN  

“She’s just such a happy person, she’s always smiling and the whole team absolutely love her to bits. 

“I don’t have words to what I think of Yui, she’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with. She’s so tenacious, she wins the ball back so often and I absolutely love playing with Yui. 

“She’s such a sweet girl as well.” 

KHIARA KEATING  

“She’s a magician, she’s an absolute magician.  

“On and off the pitch she is the sweetest soul ever, but on the pitch she is so intelligent. She’s five steps ahead of everyone else.” 

DEMI STOKES  

“Yui is just so nice. Her footballing ability speaks for itself and it’s nice to play with someone like Yui because she’s technically so gifted.”