Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has singled out one of his summer signings for praise ahead of the team's Champions League fixture against La Liga side Villarreal on Tuesday night. The Cityzens spent big over the summer in a bid to strengthen their squad after an underwhelming campaign and Guardiola has been blown away by one player in particular.
Man City splash out in summer transfer window
Guardiola's Manchester City splashed the cash in the summer transfer window as part of a necessary squad revamp. The Cityzens brought in Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Sverre Nypan, Gianluigi Donnarumma and James Trafford, and have enjoyed a strong start to the new campaign.
Cherki arrived from Lyon on a five-year contract but has suffered a slow start to the new campaign after being sidelined with a hamstring problem. The France star made his return from injury last time out and Guardiola is now looking forward to seeing him settle into life in the Premier League.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportCherki earns rave reviews from Guardiola
The coach who has worked with Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, but to name a few, told reporters: "Rayan is one of the most talented players I have ever seen in my career declared. His talent… he is top.
"The question is how he settles and how he needs to read actions. He started well at the Club World Cup but then had a few weeks off. I have the feeling most of the time when the ball comes to him, the situation is better. But not all the time you have to do exceptional things – just play football.
"He has something. The pass for Erling [Haaland] in the last moments [against Everton], he can do it. He is a player who doesn't feel pressure. He is like a street player. He wants the ball when he doesn't have it. But he is here a short time – he needs a little bit of time because in football you learn to play with your mates. But these types of players are intelligent. They see everything."
France star told he can emulate De Bruyne at City
Guardiola isn't the only person to be impressed by Cherki. The summer signing has already been told he can emulate Kevin De Bruyne's numbers during his time at Manchester City by former defender Gael Clichy.
He told GOAL, via : "If we talk about the quality of the player, I haven't seen anyone that good. That's a big quote, but I do feel that if he can bring his off-the-ball game to a certain level, I think we could be talking about a player that can can reach Kevin De Bruyne's numbers, because in tight spaces, in key areas of the pitch, he can create danger. And this is what you want at City.
"When you play against a low block team with a defence of five, there's not much space. So you need to have the quality on the on the wing, which I think City are lacking a little bit. You know, you go from Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez and Leroy Sane which for me, as a full back, were a nightmare to play against. I think they lost that."
Guardiola demands more from Man City
Manchester City head into their clash against Villarreal on a run of eight games without defeat in all competitions. Yet Guardiola wants more from his team and feels they can continue to improve as the season progresses. He explained: "We score a lot of goals, create a lot of chances and we concede not much but tomorrow is another test. When we have played just eight Premier League games and two Champions League games, you have the feeling that every game is better. This does not define seasons but we talk a lot about what we can do better."
Yet Guardiola is also wary of the threat posed by Villarreal: "In such a competitive league like Spain or England qualifying for the Champions League is a sign of quality. It's not about defending, there's a lot of factors. I admire and respect him very much but on the other hand we are looking forward to playing a good game tomorrow."
