Micah Richards thinks Manchester City currently have a player who is proving that he has taken a big step forward in his development this season.
Pep Guardiola’s men came away from the Emirates Stadium on Sunday with a valuable point against Arsenal; however, City will be disappointed not to have walked away with three, having led the contest heading into extra time.
Gary Neville was impressed with the performance of Erling Haaland at the weekend, with his goal making it six across five to start the current Premier League term, but the Norwegian superstar is not the only City star to shoot out of the blocks.
Richards has been impressed by another member of Guardiola’s squad across the opening weeks, stating that the Man City star looks more confident and his decision-making has improved a lot.
Micah Richards impressed by Jeremy Doku’s start to the season
Jeremy Doku impressed during Manchester City’s trip to the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup, which was the first sign that something was different about the Belgian heading into the 2025/26 season.
It was clear that Guardiola trusted the winger to start for him on the left, and the 23-year-old has rewarded his manager with some impressive displays during the opening phase of the campaign.
Doku impressed once again against Arsenal on Sunday, and Richards was keen to praise the Belgium international, stating that Man City did not look the same once he was taken off.
“But we have to give an honourable mention to Doku. I think this season he started ever so well. I mean, his decision-making looks a lot better. He looks more confident. He went away with a national team, did well,” Richards said on The Rest Is Football.
“And he’s been giving a run of games to show exactly what he could do. And I thought when he came off, they weren’t the same. Savinho came on as well. I don’t think he was the same.”
Ruben Dias was also eager to praise Doku on Sunday, as everyone associated with the Manchester club realises the type of player they have on their hands.
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How Jeremy Doku compared to Savinho last season
There was a lot more talk around Savinho during the off-season as the Man City star was wanted by Tottenham, before the Manchester club made it clear that the Brazilian is going nowhere.
However, it has been Doku who has stepped up during the opening phase of the campaign, despite Savinho being more impressive than the £55m Belgian star during their first season together last time around.
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| Jeremy Doku | 41 | 8 | 9 | 2231 |
| Savinho | 48 | 3 | 13 | 3087 |
In an ideal world, Guardiola will have both wingers flying down his wings, but it will take the 21-year-old time to get back up to speed this season after suffering an injury setback at the start of the campaign.
Savinho should take confidence from Doku’s performances over recent days, and if the youngster can reach his peak, then Man City have a serious set of wingers on their hands.
