Manchester City midfielder Rodri has admitted he has been surprised at how quickly Jeremy Doku has adapted since his summer move to the club.
City bought Doku from French club Rennes for a reported £55 million, and he has essentially come in as a replacement for Riyad Mahrez.
Mahrez left for Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli, which was a bit of a worry considering the goals and assists numbers he put up.
But so far, Doku has really made an impression at City.
His performance against Bournemouth in the 6-1 win on Saturday was absolutely superb. He had a hand in five of the six goals, assisting four and scoring one himself.
With his four assists, he joined a very exclusive club. Only seven other players have ever made four assists in a single game, and Doku is the youngest to do it.
Pep Guardiola admitted he was surprised by Doku’s start – and now Rodri has made some similar remarks…
Rodri admits the way Jeremy Doku has started for Manchester City has surprised the team
It is very common for players coming in from foreign leagues to struggle initially, especially young players.
It can be hard to adapt to a new culture and a new style of football and the Premier League is perhaps the hardest to play in in the world.
But £50,000-a-week ace Doku has just taken everything in his stride so far. He was a little nervous on his debut, but he’s just been getting better and better since then.
Rodri said of the Belgian livewire (Manchester Evening News): “I think we were quite surprised in this sense because it’s not normal.
“He is young and came from another league and he adapted. His strength maybe helped because the league is physical. He is involved so much and is giving the team what it needs.
“Since the first one or two games he played here he has evolved into the way we play. He has been fantastic. We all know his ability to dribble, his power, his strength, and now he understands the game, the way we play. You can see in the first goal. He faked his shot, he played with me, one, two touch and it was a great goal. I think he did four assists today which tells you about his ability, not only for scoring.”
The sky is the limit for Doku
Doku probably couldn’t have hoped for a better start at City.
He arrived for big money and that brought about big pressure to perform. Or at least, it should have. So far, the 21-year-old has shown that his price tag is really not affecting him.
It is very refreshing to see a player come in and make such a big impact.
And it’s exciting to think about the kind of levels he could reach once he has worked with Pep Guardiola and these players a bit more.
He’s made a fantastic start. There will be bumps in the road, because he is still young and that is inevitable. But it’s clear City have a top prospect on their hands.
