“That’s how I am” – Jeremy Doku snubs importance of goals and assists when judging Manchester City performances | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku has insisted that he does not need to provide goals and assists in order to have a ‘good game’ for the club.

The 23-year-old has received huge plaudits for his man-of-the-match performance in City’s 3-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday – a result that propelled Pep Guardiola’s men back into second place and cut the gap to leaders Arsenal to four points heading into the November international break.

Doku has been a regular feature in Manchester City’s starting XI this season as the Blues look to reclaim the Premier League title from Liverpool and mount a genuine challenge for the UEFA Champions League after enduring their most challenging year under Guardiola last term.

The eight-time Premier League champions made a slugging start to the 2025-26 season but have racked up 11 wins in 14 games in all competitions since September, with Doku enjoying the best form he has shown since he joined Manchester City from Rennes for £55.4 million in 2023.

The Belgium international has always amazed onlookers with his technical ability and prowess going forward but a lack of end product has always been a fair criticism of the 23-year-old’s game, with City growing overly reliant on Erling Haaland to deliver the goods in front of goal in recent seasons.

Guardiola has repeatedly called upon Manchester City’s wide attackers to pull their weight in the final third this season as Haaland continues to be City’s be-all and end-all in attack and the Blues’ prospects in attack look worryingly bleak in the potential absence of the Norway international.

However, Doku has started to turn a corner and show that he can become the player Manchester City fans have craved since he joined the club and after back-to-back five-star displays in home wins over Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool last week, the winger has broken his silence on expectations around goal and assist contributions.

Speaking to reporters after Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Liverpool, Doku insisted that his level and standard of performances for the club should not be judged purely on the numbers of goals and assists provided.

“I’m not a player that’s going to look after a game and say ‘you didn’t score, you didn’t assist, you had a bad game.’ I’m not that type of player,” said Doku.

“A bad game is for me if I don’t touch the ball, if I’m not effective or if I lose a lot of balls, that’s a bad game.

“If I didn’t score today (against Liverpool), would I have said this is a bad game? No, I would have said this is a good game. That’s how I am and how I’m going to be.”

While there is stock in what Doku feels, the harsh truth – as Guardiola will know all too well – is that City’s wide players cannot afford to not contribute with goals and assists if they are to challenge on all fronts and stake a claim for silverware at the end of the season.