Manchester City have had several players on international duty following the end of the 2024/25 season – and one was in fine fettle last night.
City will soon head off to the Club World Cup, where they will be hoping to win the tournament after a pretty dismal 2024/25 campaign.
Manchester City completed a move for Rayan Ait-Nouri on Monday, and the Algerian will accompany his new teammates on the trip to the US.
It will be a chance for some players to send an early message to Pep Guardiola ahead of the new season.
Plenty of players underperformed last term, and could well be in danger of not playing so much.
One man who may be in this category is Jeremy Doku – but last night for Belgium, he produced a superb display.
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Photo by Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Photo by Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Last night, Belgium faced Wales in a World Cup qualifier.
Rudi Garcia’s side raced into a 3-0 lead, but Wales pulled a goal back just before half-time through Harry Wilson, who scored a penalty.
A spirited Wales managed to get back on level terms after goals in the second-half from Sorba Thomas and Brennan Johnson.
But Kevin De Bruyne, fresh from leaving Manchester City, broke Welsh hearts late on with a brilliant controlled volley at the back post.
It was a chaotic match, with a lot of poor defending.
But Doku has come in for high praise for his performance on the night, which featured a great goal cutting in from the right side.
HLN gave him an 8/10, saying: “A whirlwind on the Heysel. Played football at a high level all the time. Brussels was his playground. Doku accelerated, Doku dribbled, Doku scored, Doku was unstoppable – unless wrong.”
Walfoot concurred, also giving him 8/10. They said: “The only real creator of chaos in this team, even if he sometimes gives the impression of doing too much. It seems that he is the only one to put this goal from a dribble at a standstill, or to destabilize any defender.”
An important season is coming for Doku
Doku was brilliant against Wales, and it is not uncommon for him to really stand out for his country.
And that is somewhat frustrating, because for City, the consistency hasn’t really been there.
But part of the problem may be that City face low blocks all the time, and Doku often has to bypass two or even three players to actually make something happen.
Jeremy Doku for Man City (2023-present)
Appearances – 81
Goals – 12
Assists – 20
The 2025/26 campaign is a big one for Doku.
City now have some very good wingers such as Savinho, Omar Marmoush and Oscar Bobb, with Rayan Cherki also set to join the club.
He needs a strong campaign, otherwise we may be seeing him depart after a three-year spell at the club.
Potentially, the signing of Tijjani Reijnders may help Doku improve with his late runs into the box. Hopefully, he does kick on, because the potential is truly scary.