Erling Haaland names Manchester City star worthy of being Kevin De Bruyne’s heir | OneFootball

Manchester City and Norway forward Erling Haaland has hailed Rayan Cherki’s performances since the Frenchman’s return to fitness this month.

Cherki put in a five-star display against Swansea City in the Carabao Cup fourth-round last week in his first start for Manchester City since the end of August, when he suffered an injury in the days leading to a 2-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion. He supplied Haaland twice in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Sunday.

The 22-year-old joined Manchester City from Lyon for £34 million in June and was one of Hugo Viana’s hallmark signings in the Portuguese executive’s first summer as the club’s new sporting director, with the Blues embarking upon life beyond Kevin De Bruyne.

Cherki made a strong impression on the Manchester City faithful at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, scoring his first goal for the club and setting up Phil Foden in exquisite fashion in a 4-3 Round of 16 defeat to Al-Hilal.

The former Lyon man starred on his senior France debut just weeks after his Manchester City transfer was made official, coming off the bench against Spain in the UEFA Nations League to score from distance and set up another goal late on.

Cherki is widely regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders of his generation and Manchester City have a world-class talent on their hands as the club undergo a period of transition in the backdrop of a sliding doors transfer window.

Guardiola’s squad witnessed a major revamp in the summer as executives at the Etihad Stadium – led by Viana – sought to move on several senior stars past their prime and recruit new, hungry blood to challenge for major trophies in the seasons to come.

Erling Haaland is indispensable to Manchester City and their hopes of winning any silverware this season will hinge heavily on the 25-year-old, who has scored 17 times in all competitions for the eight-time Premier League champions already this season.

Haaland has been devoid of his usual service from the likes of De Bruyne and Phil Foden – who has been through a difficult 12 months but is returning to his old self – in the last year as Manchester City look to turn a corner from their disappointing 2024-25 campaign.

Cherki has revitalised Manchester City’s midfield since his return from injury and his service for Haaland was on point at the weekend, when the France international set up his Norwegian teammate twice in the first-half against Bournemouth and assumed the responsibility of architect-in-chief for Guardiola’s side.

Raving about Cherki ahead of an emotional upcoming UEFA Champions League encounter with his former club Borussia Dortmund, Haaland said: “He’s a good guy with amazing qualities, as we can all see,” in a press conference on Tuesday.

“And it’s about playing football to get the best out of everyone, the same with him. We need to help him in his free mind as a number 10 to help pass the ball to me, to attacking players.

“He has this kind of special ability which is difficult to explain – a little bit like Kevin (De Bruyne) had where he can just pass someone through from wherever on the pitch. He’s a special talent and we need to help him develop even more because he can be really good.”

Cherki and Haaland are expected to retain their places in the starting XI for Manchester City when they welcome Dortmund to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening, though Guardiola is likely to shuffle his pack with one eye on Sunday’s crucial Premier League meeting with Liverpool.