Rayan Cherki is one of the most gifted players he has ever seen, according to Pep Guardiola, who trained Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, and Xavi Hernández. The manager is certain the forward will embrace the Manchester City team culture.
The 22-year-old Frenchman made his comeback from a thigh injury over the weekend. Since joining from Lyon for £30.5 million in time for the Club World Cup in June, he has only featured seven times. After playing five minutes in the team’s 2-0 victory over Everton, when he nearly assisted Erling Haaland on a third goal, he is heading to Villarreal for what would be his Champions League debut.
Pep Guardiola Reaction
Even though he asked for patience, the manager struggled to describe Cherki’s strengths, speculating that the only question might be how well he fits in with the system and learns to do easier tasks.
Guardiola puffed out his cheeks and remarked, “Rayan is one of the huge stars I have ever seen in my career.” He is the best both technically and personally. How he reads the game and all the actions it requires, how he settles in, and what we will do are the questions. After starting at the [Club] World Cup, he took a break. [We must proceed] gradually, but given his skill, I anticipate that things will improve more often when he has the ball.
“He needs to play football only and not always have to do extraordinary things. However, he has something. He is capable of many, many things, like the last-minute pass for Erling [against Everton].
When it comes to getting the ball, he is a player who doesn’t feel pressure. He resembles a street performer. When he doesn’t get the ball, you know, he becomes grouchy and says, “Give me the ball, give me the ball.” He hasn’t been here long; you have to play with your [team]mates, so it will take some time.
Additionally, the City manager praised Nico González, who appears ready to start in the middle of the midfield. Although he is unable to play due to a muscular ailment, Rodri has traveled to his old team, who are supposed to honor him prior to the match at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
“I feel like Nico is getting better and better,” Guardiola remarked. We are quite happy with his behavior, and he will continue to improve every year. He is a beautiful, kind man who is open-minded and cultured. His parents must be extremely proud of him as a player and a person.
Guardiola also talked a lot about City’s getting better. We create a lot of chances, score a lot of goals, and don’t let up many goals. Even though there are only eight Premier League games and two Champions League games left, I get the impression that each one is better than the one before it and worse than the one after it.
We discuss how to read things better and what we can do better a lot. I know these players are putting in a lot of work, and I have a great deal of faith in them. We are excellent.
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