Talented France forward roamed with intent on a nervy night at Burnley when City reclaimed top spot
In a season where the football on offer would struggle to entertain paint testers, Rayan Cherki has offered a point of difference. A playground footballer who gives off the impression of actually enjoying the game, while the majority of professionals are enduring the methodical nature of desperately practising set pieces. Cherki possesses an armoury of trickery and a desire to use it at every opportunity, even in a stuttering win at Burnley.
A fee of £30.5m was paid for the France international last summer, luring him from Lyon. While Florian Wirtz, a player who cost almost four times as much, struggles to adapt at Liverpool, Cherki’s relaxed attitude has made it a seamless transition from Ligue 1 to Premier League. There is a fearlessness to his play, knowing that if he does lose the ball then it will soon be back at his feet.
Phil Foden is cemented in the role of second choice No 10 thanks to Cherki’s form. He is making the position his own and Pep Guardiola knows his preferred front four contains the Frenchman with Erling Haaland in front of him and Antoine Semenyo and Jérémy Doku either side. This is the regular quartet for the new Premier League leaders because their head coach knows the importance of strengthening the bond between his most effective attackers and that it can only make them more potent.
