Pep Guardiola faces £93m puzzle as Man City “dagger” and “mercurial talent” set for imminent return from injury

Manchester City will benefit from the imminent return of “wonderful” attacking duo Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki, Citizens’ expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.

Cherki - a £34m signing from Lyon in June - was sidelined for seven matches in all competitions with a thigh injury before watching on as an unused substitute in Man City’s 1-0 Premier League win at Brentford before the international break.

As for Marmoush - a £59m arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt in January - he has also missed seven games for the Citizens since sustaining a knee injury on international duty with Egypt in September, but City fans received a boost earlier this week when the attacker was seen without crutches when celebrating Egypt’s qualification for the World Cup.

Pep Guardiola hopes to have both players fit and firing as soon as possible, as Man City contend with a busy fixture schedule in multiple competitions, playing 17 games - including 12 in the Premier League - before the end of the year.

Considering that Marmoush has had additional time to adjust to the demands of the Premier League and to Guardiola’s system, McInerney has tipped the 27-year-old to feature sooner than Cherki, but he sees both players having key roles at the Etihad Stadium.

Marmoush ended the 2024-25 season as Man City’s second-top scorer with eight goals despite joining midway through the campaign, while Cherki contributed to 32 goals (12 goals, 20 assists) for Lyon last season and has since chipped in with two goals and one assist in six matches for the Citizens.

Man City starting spot is up for grabs and goal-hungry Marmoush could take it

“I think there's probably more of an immediate role for Marmoush, just because we know who he is, we know what he can do at Manchester City,” McInerney told Sports Mole.

“He was a large part of City's turnaround last season, bagging some really important goals and bringing a real energy and dynamism to a City side that was, at the time, flagging, lacking identity, lacking energy, lethargic, sort of sullen from the winter months.

“Marmoush was this exciting signing from the Bundesliga who brought energy, charisma, a will to win essentially. Obviously he wasn't perfect at all times, but he scored the Premier League Goal of the Season, he got a hat-trick as well, and was a large part of what gave City a bit of spark.

“We don't know what Marmoush’s final role is going to be, and it looks like [Jeremy] Doku right now has nailed down that left-hand side - though there's arguments to be said that he could play on the right after his performance against Wales for Belgium the other day - but Marmoush brings goals.

“Guardiola's talked an awful lot about needing more goals from his wide players. If Marmoush plays every game, he scores a goal every other game, because he's that level of finisher. He instinctively gets in the right places to put the ball in the back of the net.

“I think Marmoush will initially come off the bench (after recovering from injury), but there is a spot out wide that someone hasn't grabbed yet. Marmoush is not necessarily a right-sided player, but Doku might get shifted over that side and Marmoush might get tried on the left.

“There is a spot there for someone, and it could be Cherki that takes that too, but I think we are going to see [Marmoush] integrated pretty quickly.”

“Marmoush is the dagger” - and “mercurial talent” Cherki may also have “big part” to play

McInerney added: “Having said that, you could turn around and say, given that things are still a little bit hectic and we aren't keeping the ball ideally to the level that Guardiola would demand, Rayan Cherki could be a big part of that.

“Guardiola massively appreciates already his ability to retain possession and dictate play with that La Pausa, that famous Guardiola attribute that he loves which essentially means slow down the play, choose your moments, and bring a calm to the possession.

“Ultimately, having both back is just wonderful. They both bring so much. They are two different ways to attack you, but both brilliant in their own way.

“Cherki - all control, elegance and flair with a wonderful way to pass the ball, great vision and just a mercurial talent. Marmoush is the dagger. He's just electric, energetic, a vibrant finisher, his first thought is scoring goals.

“(Cherki and Marmoush are) very different, but also both extremely useful, and you are a better side if you have them in your squad.

“I suspect Marmoush will get more chances straight away, because he's more of a familiar face and Guardiola knows that he understands the Premier League and so on, but I would not be surprised if Guardiola starts to lean quite heavily on Cherki at the same time, because the talent there is obvious.

“City right now are a relatively settled unit, though - Doku aside - there is a spot open out wide, so one of those two are probably thinking that could be my role.”

Which Man City attackers fit into Guardiola’s best lineup?

While goal machine Erling Haaland is all but guaranteed to lead the line for Man City in every so-called meaningful match, the real selection headache for Guardiola lies just behind the Norwegian, where Marmoush and Cherki will soon be vying for starts against Doku, Phil Foden, Savinho, Oscar Bobb and captain Bernardo Silva.

Sharing his thoughts on Man City’s best lineup when at full strength, McInerney said: “You would guess right now City's best midfield, if everyone's firing and fit, is Rodri, Reijnders, Foden. If Reijnders finds his level, which we've seen hints at, Rodri starts, and Foden's been so far excellent in that number 10 role, they feel locked on.

“You could argue Cherki could play [in the number 10 role] instead, but that only shifts Foden out wide on the right then. Maybe that's the solution, but I think you'd be silly, in my opinion right now, to put Cherki as a number 10.

“He's just not there yet in terms of understanding the physicality, the pace, the disruption of the Premier League. Ask Florian Wirtz how he's adapted to the Premier League. He's obviously an incredibly talented young man, but he's definitely been caught in the wind, so to speak, of the Premier League, and it's very difficult. I suspect Cherki will go through the same level of adaption that Reijnders is having to go through currently.

“To me, that midfield, those three seem to be the nailed-on certs. Haaland is, Doku right now is in sensational form. He has to play somewhere, which leaves that one spot. I don't know the best option.

“I would love Doku to be able to play in that form on the right, because I saw the performance against Wales the other day. Doku was just sensational. Tom Lockyer, the Wales player, came out and said, ‘I think Wales might have won that if Doku was in a Welsh shirt’, which is a phenomenal quote.

“He's playing at a level right now where he isn't just dribbles and tricks, he's getting his head up and he's affecting the game from any side of the pitch. His performance on the right against Wales was sensational.

Savinho, Bobb could suffer from imminent Marmoush, Cherki return

“Of course, the Premier League probably demands more than Wales do as an international side, but if he can take that display and do it on the right-hand side, and if you look at the goal against Man United where he skimmed Luke Shaw over on the right side of the pitch, it shows it's possible.

“Then that immediately [suggests that] Marmoush can play on the left, with [Rayan] Ait-Nouri (at left-back) overlapping or someone like that. That to me seems like an immediate solution.

“Having said that, you could put Cherki on the right wing and let him and Phil Foden link up and do whatever they want to do, because they are mercurially gifted footballers, and fun will be had for all. Maybe you tell Foden, Doku and Cherki, ‘go wherever you want guys, just float about’. If Doku goes over [to the right], Phil or Cherki can just go over to the left.”

McInerney has suggested that wingers Bobb and Savinho could drop down the pecking order at the Etihad as Marmoush and Cherki prepare to return to the first-team fold.

“To me, in terms of excitement, I can't see Savinho and Bobb getting in right now. I think one of Marmoush or Cherki is going to lock down that other role. I think Cherki is more mature than Savinho and Bobb. Maybe he brings more control than those two, maybe a bit more creativity, whereas Marmoush is also more of a dagger, more of a killer.

“Savinho and Bobb aren't quite as relentlessly aggressive in their pursuit of goals as Marmoush, and they're also not quite as elegantly creative as Cherki, so I think Pep will choose one of those two right now, and I think he'll be fluid with how they play off Haaland.”

McInerney has also emphasised the importance of Man City’s attackers contributing to more goals to reassure Guardiola that others can step up in the final third if Haaland is out of form or sidelined - the Norwegian is the only City player to score more than two goals in all competitions so far this season.

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