Pep Guardiola was left swooning over Jeremy Doku after Manchester City defeated West Ham on Sunday – and his comments may be playing on the mind of Jack Grealish.
The Belgium international – lining up in the England international’s role on the left wing – scored his first goal for Manchester City with a tremendous effort to make it 1-1 at the London Stadium, delicately placing the ball into the bottom right corner after a mesmeric dribble.
So, what did Pep Guardiola say about Jeremy Doku that might concern Jack Grealish? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the £100m man was injured for the 3-1 win over West Ham, but the £55.5m signing from Rennes took his chance to impress with aplomb.
Speaking about Doku’s electric performance, Guardiola told Sky Sports: “What a game, a high standard game… we spoke with him, be yourself, go one on one, if you lose it, you lose it. He was incredibly effective. This is a winger, a proper winger that we were looking for.”
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Now, we highly doubt the Spaniard intended to aim a dig at Grealish by calling Doku a “proper winger” – the pair are very different footballers despite both operating on the left flank.
However, Guardiola certainly seemed highly enamoured – with almost a childlike excitement – when speaking about the Belgian, and we would be very surprised if he drops him after Saturday’s display.
Grealish could now have a fight on his hands at Manchester City
As aforesaid, Doku has earned the right to keep his place in the starting XI, so Grealish may have to settle for a place on the bench when he returns from his thigh injury.
Either that, or the 28-year-old might have to adjust to a position change, perhaps moving centrally where he occasionally operated at Aston Villa.
Whatever happens, it is great for Manchester City to have two vastly different – but still highly dangerous – options in that left wing role.
It means Guardiola can change things up depending on the opponent.
For example, a side who play a narrow three-man backline, leaving plenty of space out wide, would be an ideal situation for a touchline hugger like Doku.
Hopefully, the competition between Grealish and Doku is a healthy thing, and neither player ends up feeling disillusioned at any point throughout the campaign.