‘Working with Pep Guardiola can make you or break you’ - Rayan Cherki tipped to become another Kevin De Bruyne for Man City after learning from demanding coach

Cherki has long been hailed as one of the most exciting talents in European football, but his move to the Premier League has taken his game to a new level of tactical discipline. Former City full-back Clichy, who worked with Cherki as an assistant to Thierry Henry for the French U-23 team, notes that the 22-year-old had to adapt to the rigorous demands of the elite game after years of being the standout star in every youth category.

Clichy explains that Cherki’s journey at Lyon allowed him to occasionally ignore his defensive duties due to his immense offensive output. However, the transition to Man City required a mental reset to handle all phases of play. "Working with Pep can either make you or break you. It is a simple choice, really - because if you listen and go with what he wants, then, with the quality Rayan has, you have a good chance of becoming great. If, on the other hand, you don't understand what Pep wants, and you don't really want to go his way, you can break that relationship," Clichy said in his BBC column when discussing the youngster's development.

Clichy believes that if Cherki continues to hone his work rate out of possession, his creative ceiling is limitless. He insists that once a coach can trust a player defensively, they are more willing to grant them the creative freedom required to dominate matches.

"Rayan was always an outstanding talent, in terms of his quality, but you need to understand that football is about more than just having the ball - you need to work on your game out of possession too," Clichy added. "I always thought if he could do that, and add that to his game, he is going to be trusted by his coaches - and then we could be talking about a player that gets close to Kevin de Bruyne with his statistics for making goals."

This vision of Cherki as a high-volume assister aligns with his form, which saw Cherki score 10 goals and provide 15 assists during a stellar debut campaign at the Etihad Stadium.

Paris Saint-Germain sensation Warren Zaire-Emery recently described Cherki’s talent as "genius," admitting that the squad is often left in awe during training sessions.

Describing the experience of playing alongside the City man, the 20-year-old midfielder said: "I don't think he impresses only me, he impresses many people. Sometimes he has moves, he himself doesn't know what he's doing. It's just genius! When you have a player like Rayan, you have to give him the balls, he is all the time decisive so he is an incredible player." This internal recognition suggests that Cherki is ready to take on a more prominent role for Les Bleus as they head into the World Cup.

As Guardiola prepares to depart Man City, he leaves behind a player who has matured significantly in a very short space of time. Cherki is still only 22 and remains in a developmental phase, but the foundation laid during his one season under Pep has set a high ceiling for the rest of his career.

Clichy concluded by stating: “He has only had one season under Pep, but if he can keep on improving, and keep on bringing the kind of performances we saw from him at City, there is just no limit for him, and what he can do.” With a major tournament on the horizon, Cherki could be the next Frenchman to truly announce himself as a global superstar.