“Wow!” – Pep Guardiola raves about ‘really important’ Manchester City star after five-star display | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola showered on the praise for Jeremy Doku after the winger’s match-winning performance in Saturday’s 5-1 rout of Burnley.

Guardiola rewarded Doku for his recent run of fine displays with a start against the Clarets at the Etihad Stadium and the Belgium international did not disappoint, causing havoc all afternoon and giving Kyle Walker a difficult return to his former club.

After making a subdued start to the 2025-26 season, City have turned a corner since the international break with crucial wins over Manchester United, Napoli and Huddersfield Town, with the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day giving the dressing room a solid lift.

City are undergoing a period of transition after a busy transfer window that witnessed the departures of several senior stars integral to the club’s success over the years, with Hugo Viana orchestrating the acquisition of seven new signings following his appointment as director of football.

The Blues suffered a late goal in the Premier League last time out as Gabriel Martinelli salvaged a 1-1 draw for Arsenal with an injury-time lob over Donnarumma to cancel out Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute opener at the Emirates Stadium.

Guardiola made nine changes to his lineup against Huddersfield in midweek as goals from Phil Foden and Savinho sealed Manchester City’s place in the Carabao Cup fourth-round – with six academy graduates named in the Blues’ starting XI at the Accu Stadium.

Alongside Foden, Jeremy Doku has stepped up and taken responsibility in a newlook Manchester City side of late, with the 23-year-old winger responding to Guardiola’s recent leap of faith in him with eye-catching performance after another.

The Belgian terrorised the Burnley defence on Saturday and was arguably Manchester City’s most potent attacking threat, with fans online praising a noticeable improvement in the former Rennes star’s decision-making and output in the final third – a key underlying theme of wide-held frustrations with Doku last season.

Speaking after City’s 5-1 victory over Scott Parker’s side, Guardiola said: “I have the feeling Jeremy Doku’s decision-making in the final third has improved, wow!

“He’s an incredible threat against teams in a low block and deep; Jeremy is really, really important. Really important! When a team is more transitional, maybe he struggles a little, but when a team is (deep), he can bring the ball to the box. And after, he’s now reading good.

“When Jeremy goes, two or three opponents go. They don’t allow him to go one-against-one, because one-against-one, he’s unstoppable. There’s no winger in five, 10 metres stronger than Jeremy; impossible. Now he’s reading, when opponents go two or three (men), he reads if another man is free to make a cross, an extra pass. He improved a lot!”

Doku is turning himself into one of the first names on Guardiola’s teamsheet and with a relative lack of direct competition in Manchester City’s wide attacking positions, the forward has the form and platform to register himself as a regular feature for the Blues in the weeks and months to follow.