Pep Guardiola says Man City hero Jeremy Doku reminded him of Lionel Messi as the Belgian winger shone in Manchester City’s 6-1 win over Bournemouth.
Doku scored the opening goal after half an hour then laid on four assists in the rest of the game, two for Bernardo Silva and one each for Manuel Akanji and Phil Foden.
His first assist of the game saw the 21-year-old bamboozle Bournemouth’s Chris Mepham with a dazzling set of tricks before teeing up Bernardo for a first-time finish – a move which reminded Guardioia of eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who the City boss worked with while at Barcelona.
Asked if Doku is one of the best players in the Premier League or Europe, Guardiola told BBC Sport: “In the world. I said that many times.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights of Manchester City against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
“He made a good shot from a short corner and then after the first goal, the action for the second looks like Messi. I remembered, in that moment, Messi did that many times.
“Maybe that’s too much of a compliment to him! But he deserves it.”
As well as his goal and four assists, Doku also completed four dribbles – more than the entire Bournemouth team combined on Saturday – though Guardiola hailed his decision-making as the most impressive aspect he has seen from the young winger.
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Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku celebrate Man City’s fourth goal
“We knew the one-v-one, the fact that surprised me the most is how clever he is to dribble,” the City boss told Sky Sports.
“His decision for the extra pass, I had the feeling he understood everything. He understands the game really well.”
Pep: Haaland twisted his ankle a little
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Erling Haaland during the match vs Bournemouth
The one blot on the City performance was a concerning injury for Erling Haaland, who came off during the half-time interval after twisting his ankle.
Guardiola could not confirm the severity of the injury immediately after the game.
“He twisted a little bit his ankle, hopefully it is not a big issue. We will look in the next hours,” said Guardiola.
City face Swiss side Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday night, before facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Sunday, live on Sky Sports with kick-off at 4.30pm.
Analysis: Pep has an incredible asset on his hands
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Sky Sports’ Peter Smith:
Man City have got one on their hands here. Oh my, Jeremy Doku was sensational on Saturday afternoon. A goal and four assists from a performance which will leave the Bournemouth defenders with nightmares. He’s box office.
The electric pace. The agility and close control to twist and turn at speed. And the combination of finishing quality and awareness of when to roll in a team-mate to make sure all that eye-catching approach play has a final product. Doku seems to have the lot. And he’s just 21!
He even finished the match with most duels won by any player. Pep Guardiola will love that.
Man City aren’t short on attacking options but right now Doku is the one you’d pay to watch. He had the fans out of their seats and was a threat from start to finish. Jack Grealish may be wondering whether this young speedster is going to take his place on that left-flank.
The truth is there is likely to be opportunities for both of them, depending on how Guardiola wants to approach it. But one things for sure: he has an incredible asset on his hands in Doku.