How Doku became key player for treble-chasing Man City

Breaking news from the world of sport: How Doku became key player for treble-chasing Man CityImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Jeremy Doku has scored five goals and provided five assists in 28 Premier League appearances this seasonByUmir Irfan Football tactics correspondentPublished17 minutes agoWhen recently asked if Jeremy Doku could reach the levels of Vinicius Jr and Lamine Yamal, Pep Guardiola was in no doubt. "Yeah, for sure," said the Manchester City boss. "And always accept being pushed.

We are really pleased. Now he is winning games. But he has always been really, really good.

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"Doku has evolved as a player and is beginning to realise his immense promise at City after nearly three years with the club. Still just 23, the Belgium winger was signed from Rennes for £55. 4m in August 2023, with City aware of his high potential.

His pace and dribbling quality have always been best in class - underpinning a unique profile in the modern game. Speaking to The Athletic, Shaun Maloney, one of Doku's former coaches with Belgium, said that even during the Under-17 European Championships, the young winger's quality immediately stood out. "What you see now in terms of one-v-one dribbling was exactly him then.

He was taking it in his own half and dribbling 70 and 80 yards," Maloney said. A few years later, during Doku's first year playing for Rennes, Kylian Mbappe and his father sat in the stands watching on in awe. "I was speaking with my father about a player I had noticed from the stands because of his pace," said Mbappe.

Reactions and Expectations

"The player was Doku at Rennes. In my five years as a pro, I had never seen someone with so much explosivity in his first steps. "With specific standout qualities, players can forge strong careers, but becoming the star of an elite side comes from pulling together those qualities in a complete manner - something Doku has now started to do.

Saturday will see him hoping to help secure Man City a second trophy of the campaign, when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley. FA Cup finalChelsea v Manchester CitySaturday, 16 May at 15:00 BSTWembley Stadium Watch on iPlayer Listen on SoundsWatch live on One and iPlayer (build-up from 13:15 BST) and listen to full match commentary on Radio 5 Live and Sounds. Follow live text commentary plus TV and radio coverage on the Sport website and app.

'The Doku show' - Why Man City's winger is crucial for title hopes Published5 days agoImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, As one of the fastest players in world football, even Kylian Mbappe was impressed by Jeremy Doku's paceWhen talking about Doku, Guardiola is quick to stress the importance of standards off the pitch. He said: "Everybody knows that he's made an incredible step in the sense of saying, 'I am Jeremy Doku, I am going to win games. ' The greatest players always have that mentality.

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.