Manchester City attacker Rayan Cherki sends Manchester United "kill" message as Pep Guardiola looks to win Premier League

Manchester City attacker Rayan Cherki has fired a warning to rivals Manchester United, insisting that he is looking for revenge for Lyon's Europa League defeat.

The Citizens lost the Premier League title to Liverpool last term, finishing third in the top flight behind Arsenal, their lowest placement since 2016-17.

Boss Pep Guardiola will be keen to reclaim his crown, and it is not surprising that he has looked to strengthen in attack, with the club having signed Cherki from Lyon for a fee in the region of £30m.

The 21-year-old impressed in France, and he is seen by some at City as the successor to the departed Kevin De Bruyne, who was released following the expiry of his contract.

Speaking to reporters, Cherki highlighted his ambitions at the club, as well as his desire for revenge against Manchester United, saying: "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.

“I don’t like when Manchester United won the game against Lyon because I am a Lyonnais. Now I am waiting for the game [to] kill them."

Lyon were heartbreakingly eliminated from the Europa League quarter-finals when they were beaten 5-4 by United on aggregate despite having a two-goal advantage in extra-time of the second leg in April.

Can City win the title?

Guardiola's side finished the season 13 points behind Liverpool, and some supporters could point to Rodri's injury as reason for the team's struggles in 2024-25.

However, the dethroned champions struggled for large periods from a defensive perspective, with ageing players such as Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan finding it difficult to keep up with the pace of play.

Cherki can at times find it hard to impact matches when he does not have possession of the ball, and his limited involvement out of possession could cause further issues.

Additionally, it would be unfair to expect Rodri to immediately return to the level that he displayed in 2023-24 following his serious knee injury, and he will need help in the middle of the pitch.

Perhaps the addition of Tijjani Reijnders - an all-action midfielder - was made in order to combat any defensive vulnerabilities, and his energy could help platform the likes of Cherki.

Guardiola has often been able to mask the weaknesses of his teams without the ball, so it would be foolish to think that he will not find ways of doing so again next term.

Written by
Lewis Nolan