Once he gets going, Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku is “almost impossible” to stop, making him a headache for defenders.
Thibaut De Smet, a defender for Stade Reims, says that after facing him in France and admitting that it was a terrible experience.
Doku joined Manchester City in a €60 million deal from Stade Rennais in the middle of August, making it one of the more unexpected deals of the summer transfer season.
Few had anticipated the transaction, with Doku eventually joining the Etihad as Riyad Mahrez’s replacement upon his relocation to Saudi Arabia.
The young Belgian player will have to step up significantly if he is to succeed in filling the Algerian’s large shoes, since his tally of 12 goals and 10 assists in 92 appearances for Rennes is hardly inspiring.
Though only 21 years old, he is already one of the best players De Smet has faced in his career and is clearly a star for the future.
According to Voetbal Primeur, he stated in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad about the Manchester City winger, “I remember well that Thomas Foket and I were talking about Doku before the match.”
We said to one another, “Hopefully he is on your side, or it will be a long match, when we saw that he had started the game. Because it is difficult for 90 minutes against a player like that. He was ultimately on the right, thus I won.
“I’d say stopping him is pretty much impossible. He is among the best players I’ve ever faced. The only thing that can be helpful is two men defending. However, with his beginning speed, he can past you with just one tap when you’re up against him one-on-one.