Jeremy Doku was excited to play for Manchester City for the first time on Saturday, but he was disappointed that he couldn’t do more to contribute to the score against Fulham.
Doku, who was brought in to play the left wing in place of the injured Jack Grealish, showed some flashes of brilliance, particularly when he switched with Phil Foden to play the right wing.
Tim Ream’s tap-in shortly after Julian Alvarez’s goal to cancel it out showed that City weren’t playing well in the first half. After a contentious Nathan Ake goal gave the Blues the lead at halftime, Erling Haaland’s hat-trick separated the teams and added gloss to the scoreboard.
Doku made his debut and played for 75 minutes. He was applauded when he left the field, but the Belgian was disappointed that he hadn’t already scored or provided an assist.
Doku described his professional debut to City TV as “a terrific sensation, with a nice win which makes it better. Lots of goals and an amazing crowd.
“I was a little anxious before the game because it was my first time signing for a major team. I made every effort to do my best for the squad. When you play at home, you have an edge since the crowd cheers for you when you succeed.
City weren’t at their best in the first half, seeing Julian Alvarez’s opener cancelled out by Tim Ream’s tap-in immediately afterwards. A controversial Nathan Ake goal sent the Blues in ahead at the break, before Erling Haaland’s hat-trick put daylight between the sides and gloss on the scoresheet.
Doku lasted 75 minutes on his debut, receiving a good ovation when he went off – but the Belgian was left frustrated that he couldn’t get his first goal or assist in his first appearance.
Doku described his professional debut to City TV as “a terrific sensation, with a nice win which makes it better. Lots of goals and an amazing crowd.
“I was a little anxious before the game because it was my first time signing for a major team. I made every effort to do my best for the squad. When you play at home, you have an edge since the crowd cheers for you when you succeed.
Doku was thrilled to play with the striker this season after watching Haaland record a hat-trick and an assist on a successful afternoon, despite his displeasure about not being able to provide him with more opportunities against Fulham.
He responded, “It’s easy, he scores everything, when asked how it felt to play with Haaland. He doesn’t require many opportunities to score. We can see it today because he scored three goals in a challenging game. It greatly aids us.
“That’s why I’m disappointed that I can’t help the team score goals or assist on assists; as a first debut, I tried my best and will try to do it for the next games,” the player said.