Having arrived at the Etihad from Rennes in the last window, Jérémy Doku made his Manchester City debut in their 5-1 win over Fulham.
The Belgium international then joined the national team camp where he came off the bench against Azerbaijan and then started in De Rode Duivels’ 5-0 win against Estonia on Tuesday.
He even registered an assist but former Belgium international Marc Degryse, writing in his column for Het Laatste Nieuws, has demanded the 21-year-old be ‘more clinical’.
Degryse says he’s an admirer of the new Manchester City player but warns he’s far from a finished product.
Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco started the former Rennes man on the right wing, with AS Roma’s Romelu Lukaku and Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard operating as a striker and a left winger respectively.
The 58-year-old felt Doku was occupying more space in the middle rather than staying out on the wide position against Estonia, and believes Pep Guardiola can help the player improve his game at Manchester City.
“Sometimes you get the feeling that the hardest part has been done, but then there is no follow-up. He must take even more care of this continuation of the action, there is still work to be done in the zone of truth,” he said.
“I prefer he stays on the outside, goes one-on-one and thus attracts a second and third man. Then he also creates space for his teammates.
“The bar may be high for Doku. Especially if he really wants to live up to expectations and become one of the best players in the world. That progression has to happen and that is work for Guardiola.”
Doku is yet to train under Guardiola, who has spent the past few weeks in Barcelona after undergoing surgery on a back problem.
RTBF say Doku made ‘Estonian defenders seasick’ and insisted on the need to allow him to spend more time on the wing to get the best out of him.
They further add working under both Guardiola at Manchester City and Domenico Tedesco at Belgium will benefit the attacker.
‘With a maestro, Pep Guardiola, at club level and a coach who trusts him, Tedesco, at international level, it is now that we will really discover what the 21-year-old has in his belly: an exceptional talent that he will display to the whole world… or the eternal label of ‘rocket in search of efficiency’ stuck to his forehead. It’s up to him to decide which position he wants to occupy in the long term,’ RTBF added.
