Can Jeremy Doku hit the heights of Vinicius Jr & Luis Diaz? Man City star told where he needs to improve in order to join the global elite of left wingers

Doku’s game is all about running at opposition full-backs and forcing them onto the back foot. His pace allows direct bursts into the final third to be made, while his technical ability means that defenders can be left tied up in knots.

Those qualities were first showcased when making a senior breakthrough in his homeland with Anderlecht. It was never going to take long for such potential to be noted, with Rennes being the ones to take him to France in 2020.

Three seasons there saw his output in the goal contributions department continue to rise, with leading sides from across Europe paying close attention to a talented playmaker with a low centre of gravity.

City ultimately won the race for a much sought-after signature, with the Premier League heavyweights parting with a £55 million ($74m) transfer fee. Doku had to prove his worth to demanding Catalan coach Pep Guardiola.

He was not always a guaranteed starter during the early part of his time in England, but a more regular role was eventually nailed down. Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Community Shield and FIFA Club World Cup triumphs have been savoured with the Blues.

There is the promise of even more to come from Doku, with the general consensus being that he can become more prolific on the goal front - having never previously broken into double figures across a single campaign.

Those are the kind of numbers that he needs to be posting in order to rub shoulders with the likes of Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ Vinicius and Bayern Munich superstar Diaz at the very top of the world game - with two South American forwards often registering 20-plus goals alongside impressive tallies of assists.

Asked if Doku can reach that level, ex-Belgium international Albert - who was speaking in association with Haypp - told GOAL: “Of course. Doku has plenty of qualities.

“I saw him when he started here in Belgium with Anderlecht, and as soon as he touched the ball, as soon as he played, everybody in Belgium knew that he would become a terrific player.

“The problem is Jeremy is still young and sometimes he makes great things, but sometimes he touches the ball too much. With Guardiola, he went to another level.

“In the World Cup, he was very unlucky with Belgium because he had to come back for the birth of his child and he didn't play a very good World Cup. Since then, one or two players came into the national team and Jeremy will have some difficulties to get back in the starting XI with Belgium.

“But if he plays with Man City and is in good shape, he will always be on the team sheet.”

Doku believes that he can become one of the best around, telling The Guardian in April of his efforts to emulate Vini and Co: “I feel like if I have goals we are talking about a different conversation. Assists - I’m fine.

“I have to be more in the areas where you can score easy goals, tap-ins. When I look at my goals, every time they are with dribbles. I want to score even five tap-ins a-season – that would make a big difference.

“A winger needs to score. If I have those goals then I believe that I can get there to be the world’s best winger, for sure, 100%.”

Doku’s ambition is to be admired, and every player should always be striving for continuous improvement. The odd distraction has, however, crept in at City - with 114 Financial Fair Player (FFP) charges and the threat of serious punishments hanging over the Etihad Stadium.

It has been suggested that City could be stung with a points deduction that leads to them being relegated into the Championship. Doku will not want to be playing second tier football at this stage of his career, with potential transfer destinations for 2027 already being speculated on.