Manchester City midfielder breaks long-held silence on ‘difficult to manage’ label | OneFootball

Manchester City and France playmaker Rayan Cherki has opened up on a narrative of him being difficult to manage for coaches off the pitch.

The 22-year-old has made a strong start to life in England after joining Manchester City from Lyon for £34 million in June, announcing himself on the international stage just weeks later when he scored and assisted in an outstanding cameo off the bench on his senior France debut.

Cherki gave Manchester City an exciting peak through the curtain into what they can expect from the Lyon academy graduate in the years to come, with Pep Guardiola also heaping praise upon the attacking midfielder’s two-footedness and technical prowess.

After impressing at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States in June, Cherki didn’t take much time to showcase his talents to the Premier League, scoring his first Premier League goal from outside the box after coming on in Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Wolves on the opening day of the 2025-26 campaign in August.

The midfielder went on to spend a few months on the sidelines with injury and since his return to fitness, he has been a breath of fresh air in a Manchester City side dealing with the notable loss of long-serving architect-in-chief Kevin De Bruyne, who left the club in the summer.

Cherki has been a regular starter for Manchester City since his return, having forged an eye-catching pairing with Erling Haaland, who has single-handedly dragged the Blues back into contention for the Premier League with his incredible scoring run since September.

There were murmurs from certain quarters of the French media that Cherki had been a difficult character to manage in the nascent stages of his career in France, though that is set to be put to the test as the 22-year-old learns his trade in England under Guardiola.

Speaking in an interview with Telefoot in the November international break, Cherki has spoken out on the notion that he has previously been a problematic player for some coaches to handle.

“People have often made me out to be a difficult player to coach but that’s not the case,” the France international said. “I’ve never had problems with my coaches.

“I’m a simple guy, I like to laugh, I like to give pleasure to my coach, to give pleasure to the people who come to the stadium. I’ve said it often and I’ll keep saying it, that’s why things are simple: You put me on the pitch and I try to do what I have to do!

“Sometimes it can be complicated, like for everyone, but right now I’m happy, though I still need to improve a lot because I’m not satisfied with myself.”

Cherki is expected to start for Manchester City in a tricky test away at Newcastle upon the return of Premier League action this weekend, with little room for error for the Blues if they are to keep up the pressure on runaway leaders Arsenal.