Rayan Cherki: I want to kill Manchester United next season

Times

8 hours ago

Rayan Cherki has endeared himself to Manchester City fans by saying he wants to 'kill' Manchester United when the two rivals meet next season.
Cherki, who joined City in a £35.5million move from Lyon last week, has history with United. During Lyon's rollercoaster of a Europa League quarter-final defeat by Ruben Amorim's team last season, the forward looked at the United fans at Old Trafford and grabbed his crotch after putting the French team 3-2 up in extra-time even though they were down to ten men.
That United came from 4-2 down to win 5-4 thanks to three late goals still hurts the 21-year-old attacker and he is determined to exact revenge on them next season.
'I'm here to win all the games,' Cherki said when asked about the crotch-grabbing incident. 'I don't like when Manchester United won the game against Lyon because I am a Lyonnais [he was born in Lyon]. Now I am waiting for the game [to] kill them.'
The most striking thing about Cherki is his confidence. During our five-minute pitchside chat with the Frenchman at City's Club World Cup training base in Boca Raton, he speaks candidly — in English — about his lofty aspirations.
'When you see Rodri here, he won the Ballon d'Or — it's clear that with Manchester City it's possible and I am here for this,' Cherki said.
'I want to win everything with City. When I spoke with Pep [Guardiola] he said he wanted me. He was very, very clear [on that] and the system, the club, the city is very good for me.'
With a return of 12 goals and 20 assists last season, it is easy to see why Cherki's confidence levels are through the roof. A call from Guardiola a few weeks ago gave the France international even more of a spring in his step.
The City manager told Cherki, who was also of interest to United and Liverpool, that he was a big fan of his work and that he would be given what basically amounts to a free role if he were to move to the Etihad Stadium. That was music to Cherki's ears.
'I spoke with Pep about my position on the pitch and we spoke about what I enjoy when I'm on the pitch. That was very good for me,' Cherki said. 'Pep told me, 'When you have the ball, you are free' which is very good for me because it's my first quality to help the team.
In positional terms, that probably means we will see Cherki operating in the just behind Erling Haaland. Cherki split most of his time last season playing in that position and on the right wing, where he caused damage by cutting inside on to his stronger left foot.
Stepping into the No10 role will not be easy, mainly because Cherki will be following in the footsteps of Napoli-bound Kevin De Bruyne, who is regarded as one of the best players in City's history.
'I'm not Kevin De Bruyne,' Cherki stressed. 'He's the legend. I'm here to help the team and to write my own story. I hope to win all the time with the team.'
Had things turned out differently, Cherki would have been playing in the Premier League last season for Fulham. With Cherki in the last year of his contract, Lyon decided to sell their academy graduate, who had been at the club since he was seven years old, for just under £13million.
Cherki rejected the move, and another to Paris Saint-Germain, deciding instead to sign a new three-year contract in September 2024. In doing so, he would guarantee the club where he grew up a big transfer fee. City paid an initial fee of £30.5million for Cherki, who scored on his international debut against Spain in the Nations League semi-finals last week.
Guardiola has clearly made a big impression on the player during their brief time together in Florida. 'Pep is the most impressive [person here],' Cherki said. 'What he has done is crazy, but all the players are very strong and very good. He [Pep] loves football and for me, he's amazing.'