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Cherki's City debut will leave fans wanting more
The Independent
|June 20, 2025
At the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, there was an NFL-style edge to Rayan Cherki's first Manchester City appearance.
In the one-by-one player introductions, in the style of American football, Pep Guardiola's new man entered centre stage for City.
He brings promise of a return to the sort of form that won the blue side of Manchester four consecutive Premier Leagues, after a season in which the club faltered and were miles off the titlewinning pace set by Arne Slot's impressive Liverpool.
At a half-empty Lincoln Financial Field, with a boisterous presence from Morocco's Wydad Casablanca fans (at one point stopping the game with a waft of red smoke flares), Cherki made a good first impression but only in bursts.
Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku netted the goals, but 21-year-old Cherki showed glimpses of why City poached him from Lyon. Admittedly, he did not set the game on fire, but with a few clever touches and eye-catching runs that were not found, he showed promise in a 60-minute debut.
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This story is from the June 20, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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