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Villarreal forward Georges Mikautadze has claimed that Man City star Rayan Cherki is “better” than Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal.
Mikautadze played with Cherki at Lyon, and he was fulsome in his praise of his former teammate. The Georgian cited the fact that the City midfielder is two-footed to justify why he thinks Cherki is superior to one of Spain’s best players:
“When you are a footballer, you like to see this kind of player play. Cherki is better than Yamal. Cherki is Cherki, he plays with both feet, and Yamal doesn’t really have that even if he uses his right foot.”
“Cherki is ambidextrous, he has the vision, he scores, he can make others score, he can take set-pieces, he can do everything.”
Man City transfer gamble pays off
Several Premier League teams have considered making a move for the French magician in recent years, but one thing stopped them from pulling the trigger – his attitude.
City boss Pep Guardiola, however, had no qualms about signing Cherki, despite the misgivings others had, and the gamble has paid off big time.
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Cherki’s confidence on the ball could help Man City win the title
The skill and composure that the 22-year-old showed for the opener against Arsenal last weekend demonstrated why City paid €36.5m to bring him in last summer.
It would have been one of the biggest games that Cherki has ever played in, but the way he carried the ball and stuck his shot past Gunners keeper David Raya was like he was still playing in the streets as a kid.
If you can play like that under such pressure, it bodes well for City, who will need that kind of composure in the final third if they are to finish top of the table.
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