Rayan Cherki continues to face an uphill battle to secure a consistent starting spot at Manchester City, despite boasting an eye-catching record in front of goal since his move to the club last year.
The French forward appeared relaxed this week at the PFA awards in Manchester, where he was named in the Team of the Year and shortlisted for the Young Player of the Year prize. He took time to greet supporters, sign autographs and pose for photographs, showing little outward sign of the frustration that has occasionally bubbled to the surface during his time in England.
Statistically, Cherki has been one of the most productive attacking players in the Premier League. His contribution to City's win last weekend took his tally to 12 open-play assists since the start of last season, the most of any player in the division over that period. Yet those numbers have not translated into guaranteed game time.
Under former manager Pep Guardiola last term, Cherki made 33 Premier League appearances, but 14 of those came from the bench rather than as part of the starting XI. His squad role continued into the summer, when he featured only sparingly for France at the World Cup. His sole start came in the third-place play-off against England, a match in which he was withdrawn at halftime with his team trailing 4-0. In total, he played just 124 minutes across the tournament, and footage later circulated showing him visibly frustrated with head coach Didier Deschamps.
Current City boss Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that Cherki is not one to mask his emotions. Speaking after Sunday's victory, Maresca said: "Rayan is quite a nice and clear boy, if he is not happy he wants to show it. If he's next to me and he's not happy, you all realise that he is not happy because he is doing anything just to show that he is not happy."
Cherki's arrival at City was not without its doubts behind the scenes. In the club's recent Amazon documentary, chief executive Ferran Soriano admitted there had been concerns about the player's temperament before the £30million signing from Lyon in June 2025. "The information on Cherki was not so positive, I will be very honest," Soriano said. "Everybody knew about his abilities, but there was this idea that he was chaotic."
Those character questions resurfaced on Sunday when Maresca was seen approaching Cherki at the final whistle, wrapping an arm around him in what appeared to be a pointed conversation. The exact content of that exchange has not been disclosed, but when asked afterwards whether the Frenchman could expect a starting role soon, Maresca responded firmly, "absolutely, yeah."
For now, Cherki remains a vital creative outlet from the bench, but his long-term future as a first-choice starter may hinge as much on his temperament as his undoubted talent. Managing his emotions while waiting for a regular place in City's lineup could prove to be the biggest test of his season, as he balances the frustration of limited minutes with the responsibility of proving himself worthy of an expanded role under Maresca.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.