France U21 coach outlines Pep Guardiola’s biggest challenge in managing Rayan Cherki | OneFootball

Former Manchester City defender and current France U21 assistant coach Gael Clichy has given his two cents on how Pep Guardiola can bring the best out of Rayan Cherki.

Cherki joined Manchester City from Lyon for £34 million as newly-appointed director of football Hugo Viana sough to strength the club’s creative prospects following the notable departure of Kevin De Bruyne in June.

Viana secured the arrival of Cherki in time for the 22-year-old to be registered for the FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the United States, where the France international gave an excited peak through the curtain into what Manchester City fans can expect from their new signing.

There has been painted a narrative around Cherki since his arrival to England, that the Lyon academy graduate can be a difficult character to manage around the camp – a narrative that the Manchester City star has commented on in the recent international break.

“As a manager, he can be frustrating for many reasons but it is very rare you see anyone with this much quality,” Clichy said on Cherki in a recent interview with The Athletic. “Knowing that, you always want to see more from him as he can do things no one else can do.”

Cherki burst onto the scene for the senior France team in the UEFA Nations League in June after coming off the bench to score and assist in a narrow 5-4 defeat to Spain for Les Bleus.

“The (France) U21s was always too easy for him (Cherki),” Clichy added. “What I saw with him was a consequence of being the best player everywhere since he was six.

“When you have been dealing with the feeling of always doing whatever you want because the coach knows you will make the difference, you can understand how Rayan built himself to be the player he is.

“But as you grow up, you need to do more than just ball work. You need to track your run, close the angle of passes, and work for the team. At 21, it is not the case that he doesn’t want to do it, it is just that he almost had to reset himself. To know that he can do it – and has to do it.”

Cherki has been in fine form for Manchester City after spending a few months on the sidelines, though it will take time and patience for the 22-year-old to adapt to Pep Guardiola’s demands.

On Cherki playing with freedom at Manchester City, Clichy said: “This is the most important challenge Pep will have with Rayan because when you play against low blocks every weekend, it is very rare to find players who can unlock those situations with the ball at their feet.

“If you can turn him into doing the important bits off the ball – I’m not saying have him run 13km – he is going to be a tremendous player. Pep will tell him, ‘When you have the ball, just be who you are. This is why we signed you’ – but nobody wanted to touch Rayan because of that uncertainty over the work out of possession.

“He is a great guy but as a coach, you need to understand the Premier League. Yes, we want you for those moments in the half-spaces but teams are going to pick up on any weaknesses and you don’t want to be that weakness that we are defending with one man down.”

Cherki is expected to start when Manchester City visit Newcastle upon the return of Premier League football after the recent international break on Saturday.