Rayan Cherki is “special” believes Pep Guardiola and at just 22 he is already being likened to Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne – but a comparison with Lionel Messi concerns the Manchester City boss.
The attacking midfielder is in contention to be the signing of the season since joining from Lyon for £34m as he begins to have a big impact on Guardiola’s new-look side.
“Close to the 18-yard box of the opponent, he is an exceptional player,” said Guardiola after Cherki smashed in from the edge of area against Brentford on Wednesday night. “It is a fantastic goal. I saw it many times with Phil [Foden], with Kevin [De Bruyne] before.”
It was the latest piece of brilliance from the midfielder, whose Rabona cross for Phil Foden against Sunderland this month will be difficult to beat for assist of the season. Guardiola, though, wasn’t so keen.
“I never saw Messi doing these kind of things,” he said. “The biggest quality of Messi is the simplicity. The simple things he does perfectly. The big talent that Rayan is, he has to learn a lot of these things. But he’s so young.”
Any new Man City signing faces the question of whether they can adapt to Guardiola’s style or be suffocated by it. Few have the confidence, let alone the ability, to produce a Rabona so early in their career at a new club. That moment grabbed the headlines, but Cherki’s performance against Sunderland was as complete as it gets in his position.
Guardiola added: “I want players to do the simple things well and, after that, if you have special talent, he can do whatever he wants. But if it does not work, it will be a problem; he will be in trouble.”
The France international, despite his age, was ready-made to become Man City’s latest silky attacker after making his senior debut at just 16 and going on to play 185 times for Lyon.
Cherki has been a familiar name for some time in Europe, but his 12 goals and 20 assists in 44 games last season signalled he was ready to make the next step. City looks the perfect fit. He has six assists in as many Premier League starts, having missed six weeks due to a thigh injury.
Cherki is fearless but fun. He wears the No 10 shirt but can play off the right, where Guardiola has deployed him most and is just as good with his left foot as he is with his right, making him unpredictable for defenders.
“Rayan has special, unique quality,” said Guardiola. “Sometimes you love him, sometimes you hate him, but he is special. The composure, personality and the tempo he helps us to play, especially in the final third, with the rhythm we need.”
He has tricks and flicks and is able to carry the ball not at blistering speed but with balance and guile, like his assist for Foden at Crystal Palace where he darted through the opposition midfield before teeing up his teammate.
His personality alone will help win over City supporters, marking his goal against Brentford by replicating Haaland’s robot and meditation celebrations. “I love my team, I love my club,” Cherki told Sky Sports on Wednesday. “I’m very happy to be here.”
Man City should be happy too and particularly Foden, whose upturn in form has been in part due to the arrival of Cherki. The pair, playing together in the last four matches, have helped take the weight off Erling Haaland.
It’s Cherki’s longest run from the start, although he was substituted after 66 minutes against Brentford as he “did not do the job he should have defensively”. A reminder that he is not the finished product yet. If this is Cherki at Man City after five months, what will he be like after five years?
“In his career, I have the feeling he has done whatever he wants,” said Guardiola. “Here, he has to do what he has to do for the team. When he is able to do it, he will play a lot of minutes for many years at this club.”
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