Manchester City’s sparkling winger Jeremy Doku is good on the eye but is still a work in progress. The Belgian international has made a promising start to his City career. But as influential as he’s been at times he can also frustrate. It’s all part of the package which is Jeremy Doku.
During Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium last night the good and the bad of Doku were on display. At times he was unplayable and toyed with the Burnley defenders. On other occasions, his end product let him down as his decision-making or execution was just lacking. Those are the joys of a young footballer learning his craft, especially in an elite environment at Manchester City.
Since arriving from Rennes in the summer City’s sparkling winger has made a promising start to his Manchester City career. He has shown that his best is almost unplayable. His man-of-the-match performance in City’s 6-1 win over Bournemouth was a prime example of this. He tormented the Cherries in a performance that is up there with one of the best individual displays in the Premier League this season.
On other occasions, he has shown glimpses of his undoubted ability but his end product let him down over 90 minutes. Last night’s performance by Doku was a perfect encapsulation of this. City’s sparkling winger would put in a dazzling run but his final pass was lacking. He missed an opportunity in the second half to slip in Erling Haaland after a dazzling run. It will take time for Doku to improve this but it’s better to see him make the run than not at all.
Given Doku is 21 he will improve his end product in time, especially with Pep Guardiola’s guidance. As good as City’s sparkling winger is he is still a work in progress and will blossom as he gains more experience at the European champions.