Manchester City fans must be rubbing their hands after coming across their Premier League fixtures for next season, as they eagerly await seeing how Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Ait-Nouri fare.
Cherki is excited about joining Manchester City and he will be hoping he has impressed Pep Guardiola at the FIFA Club World Cup to the extent that he is given a start in their opener against Wolves.
The Frenchman is considered one of the most prodigious youngsters in the world but if he takes the Premier League by storm, his stock will reach an all-time high.
As a result, it will be vital for the 21-year-old to get off to a flier in Manchester City colours.
However, Pep Guardiola seems to love Cherki already and with that being the case, he could head into the 2025/2026 season brimming with confidence.
Manchester City Airport Arrivals - FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images
Rayan Cherki will be excited about early Man City vs Manchester United clash
Considering Cherki vowed to “kill” Manchester United and seek revenge for Lyon’s exit from the Europa League quarter-final last season, he will be looking forward to the Manchester Derby in early September.
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Rayan Cherki clearly stated that he cannot wait to go toe-to-toe against Ruben Amorim’s side: “I didn’t like it when Manchester United won the game against Lyon because I am a Lyonnais. Now I am waiting for the game [to] kill them.”
The last time City played against Manchester United at such an early stage of a Premier League season was back in August 2007, when the Sky Blues won 1-0 thanks to Geovanni’s winning goal.
Thierry Henry noted Cherki’s improvement as a player and he will not lack any motivation to beat the Red Devils, having made such a bold statement before playing his first game for Manchester City.
However, if the visitors manage to keep the youngster quiet at the Etihad Stadium, his reputation could be under serious threat early on in his time as a City player for not walking the walk.
Ideally for Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, Cherki ends up having a game for the ages against Manchester United and is heralded by the masses for his unwavering confidence.
Rayan Cherki stats for Lyon vs Manchester United
The highly-rated technician has locked horns against United twice recently.
In both games, Cherki stood out despite Lyon being knocked out of the Europa League by Manchester United.
RAYAN CHERKI STATS VS MANCHESTER UNITED GROUPAMA STADIUM OLD TRAFFORD
GOALS 1 1
ASSISTS 0 0
CHANCES CREATED 4 1
SUCCESSFUL DRIBBLES 4 3
Manchester City fans have every reason to be optimistic about how Cherki would perform against Manchester United, considering he scored in both games, created a total of five chances and completed seven dribbles.
Playing in a superior City side, if the silky technician operates at similar standards, United could be in trouble.