Rayan Cherki tipped to break Kevin De Bruyne record at Man City after "I am here moment"

Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki has the potential to become “one of greatest playmakers in Premier League history,” Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.

The 22-year-old summer signing from Lyon experienced a disrupted start to the 2025-26 season due to injury, but the Frenchman has since made his presence felt when called upon by manager Pep Guardiola.

Cherki has played just 398 minutes of Premier League football so far this season, but he is already the leading assister in the division with five, registering two of those - including an audacious rabona for Phil Foden’s header - during a man-of-the-match display in Man City’s 3-0 home victory over Sunderland last weekend.

Man City’s new No.10 ranked first for touches (104), touches in the opposition’s box (12), passes into the final third (37), dribbles (10) and chances created (six) as he helped inspire the Citizens to a comfortable win at the Etihad Stadium.

“That was his moment, his standout game so far,” McInerney told Sports Mole when reacting to his performance against Sunderland. “The goals of assists have already come and he's barely played any football. He's the leading Premier League assister already and he's played around 400 minutes in the Premier League which is ridiculous.

“That was his moment, his ‘I am here moment’ for Rayan Cherki where we saw the talent that he's got, as Guardiola said, his parents gave him that and this is a talent that you inherit. You can't really learn a lot of that.

“Remarkably gifted” Cherki is ‘more naturally talented’ than De Bruyne

“Football just comes easy for him. In the way that Phil Foden was always going to be a footballer, you can tell that Rayan Cherki was always going to be a footballer. His body's just built for it. His mentality is just built for it. [Against Sunderland], he absolutely deserved those two assists.

“He just showed the absurdly natural talent that he's got and I really don't think it's possible to be much more talented as a footballer than he is. I'm not saying he's the best as a footballer, but in terms of natural talent, there's probably no-one better than that.

“[Lionel] Messi at his very best and that's it, but no-one else. He's as naturally talented as anyone, he really is. De Bruyne’s a better player, obviously, because he did it over 10 years, was consistent and incredibly efficient, but in terms of natural talent, De Bruyne is not more naturally talented of a footballer than Cherki.

“You can see his skills are just so one-of-one, so high, but obviously it's up to him and how far he'll take that skill set, because he could achieve anything in football with that ridiculous technique that he's got.

“This felt like his little game where he really lit up the stadium and he showed that he belongs in City's best side. It’ll be his spot if he works hard and if he carries on improving. Remarkably gifted.”

Creating chances is “inherently natural” to Man City star Cherki

Cherki has registered his Premier League-high five assists across 10 appearances, but McInerney believes that the France international would have doubled his assist tally had he not been sidelined with injury earlier this season.

“He'd have 10 [assists] without that injury already, I'm not even kidding, which is mad,” McInerney claimed. “It's like how [Erling] Haaland can't help but score goals because he's just naturally brilliant at it. Kevin De Bruyne was the equivalent, he couldn't help but get a load of assists and create a billion chances because he's naturally good at it. Rayan Cherki is the same.

“He barely has to play any football and he'll create a load of chances. You can just tell he's going to do that. The fact that he's got that many assists already, he creates more chances than anyone, it's obviously something that is just inherently natural to him, it's instinctive. It comes from his passing range of course, but I think it's more than that.

“He’s not just a great passer, he has this uncanny ability of turning up in the right area of the pitch at any moment - be it on the left, be it centrally, be it on the right - and just knowing when to release the ball or knowing who to pass to. It's really instinctive stuff.”

McInerney has boldly suggested that Cherki could break the record for the most Premier League assists registered in a single season, currently held jointly by Man City icon De Bruyne (2019-20) and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry (2002-03) who both assisted 20 goals.

Can Cherki break all-time PL assist record held by De Bruyne and Henry?

“If Cherki plays in a great side - in the way that City's treble-winning side was great that De Bruyne played in, or the 17-18 City side, they were great sides - if he plays in a side like that, he's probably breaking that assist record, he's probably getting close to De Bruyne on his record, if not breaking it.

“You can tell he just can't not create chances, there is just such an inherent instinctive ability to do that. If he'd played (every PL game for City this season), he'd be on 10 assists. If he keeps playing the rest of the season, I don't see how he doesn't get close to 20, if not 20, because he just creates too much.

“It's almost like the only thing that'll stop him is injuries, or players missing chances, because it's just happens every single game (Cherki creating chances). He’ll go on the pitch for five minutes and create two big chances. Every single game it happens.

“[Cherki is] someone that the ball is just drawn to. Players are comfortable giving him the ball and let things just happen and he has such a natural talent, you can't teach that. The player either has that instinct or they don't. Cherki does and that's what makes him a really exciting and special footballer.

“You can see he's just different and that's what makes him so exciting. When you see a player who's different, you grab hold of them. He's more Ronaldinho than Messi to me, in terms of the way he wants to do his flicks.

“He's got a bit of [Eden] Hazard, he's got a little bit of David Silva of how he was on the ball. He reminds me of [Samir] Nasri when he was at Arsenal at his very best. He's just such a fun footballer.

“...I think if Cherki listens (to Guardiola) - which I think he already is - he's going to be one of the greatest playmakers in Premier League history.”

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