Jeremy Doku’s attacking abilities continue to place him among the most exciting young footballers in the world.

Since making his debut for Anderlecht at just 16, the Belgian winger’s rise has been steady and impressive. Now approaching 50 international caps for Belgium, Doku has gone from a teenage prodigy to a £55 million signing for Manchester City in 2023, establishing himself as one of football’s brightest prospects.

At his peak, Doku blends explosive speed, confident dribbling, and a knack for creating opportunities from seemingly impossible situations. Yet, the forward himself believes there is still plenty of room to develop further.

Since joining Manchester City, the 24-year-old has contributed a consistent stream of assists — 34 across all competitions — but he admits that improving his finishing is a key focus.

A late run of goals, including a crucial FA Cup semi-final winner and a brace against Everton, brought his season total to eight — equalling his best tally from the previous campaign. However, Doku remains determined to keep raising his standards.

He points to two players who serve as inspiration. The first is Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior, whose name came up in a recent interview.

“I was asked if I think I can reach that level, and I’d be crazy if I said no,” Doku told FourFourTwo. “I know my qualities and where I want to go. If I get myself into more scoring positions, I can reach that level. Most of my goals are self-created — tough ones where I dribble past players and then shoot.

“If you can score five, six or seven tap-ins in a season, that changes everything. I’ll always have the difficult goals, but adding the simple ones is crucial — being in the right place to score those matters a lot.”

The second player Doku admires is his predecessor at Manchester City, Raheem Sterling. He sees Sterling as a perfect example of how a player can increase his goal tally by consistently positioning himself at the back post for those decisive tap-ins.

When asked whether Pep Guardiola had spoken to him about this, Doku replied, “He would tell me sometimes to be in that position, but it wasn’t like he was saying, ‘Jeremy, I’m not happy, I need more.’ It’s not as though I can go missing during games — my contribution goes beyond scoring. I’m involved in creating danger, providing key passes, and setting up goals.”

Reflecting on Sterling’s approach, Doku added, “When I look at Raheem, the number of tap-ins he scored, the easy goals, just because he was in that spot — that’s something I really admire.

“It might look simple, but the hardest part is getting into that position. Maybe he made those runs five times before and didn’t receive the ball.

“It takes persistence — the willingness to keep finding those positions again and again.”

— Chris Flanagan, Senior Staff Writer