Rayan Cherki can already do it all - yet he's only just getting started at Man City

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Rayan Cherki has been a huge hit since signing for Manchester City last summer and there is more to come from the mercurial playmaker

Antoine Semenyo couldn't believe what he was seeing, Pep Guardiola flits between wanting to shout at him and kiss him, Manchester City fans just love watching him.

Rayan Cherki has been a breath of fresh air since arriving at the Etihad. He's not even been in town a year and there is already a showreel worthy of a career. His rabona assist against Sunderland, his keep-ups in the Carabao Cup final, his beautiful goal against Brentford, sublime pass after sublime pass.

He's a maverick player who gets fans off their seats and conjures up moments you'll never forget. And what's more, there is still more to come.

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Cherki shone in the FA Cup quarter-final victory over Liverpool on Saturday, everything he tried came off and even half putting on Hugo Ekitike's shirt on the bench after the France international teammates had been substituted couldn't detract from his performance.

Cherki spoke of how he wants people who watch him play to be entertained and based on recent evidence you have to say it is mission complete.

"He's one of the world's best," said teammate Antoine Semenyo, who benefited from one defence-splitting pass from Cherki to clip home City's third against Liverpool. "He can do anything with the ball, he makes my life easy. I know that he's going to drop in and find me in behind or drop it into my feet so he makes things easy.

"When you train with him every day you get a gist of what he is so when he gets on the ball I know where to make my runs."

That chemistry between Cherki and his teammates is building, the understanding developing. No-one has doubted his talent, some have perhaps questioned his positioning and his defensive awareness, but City and Cherki have worked hard on the training pitch to ensure he marries up the wonderful with the work-rate.

"When he faces the goal, he becomes so, so dangerous," said City assistant Pep Lijnders of the 22-year-old. “It’s for the other players to make sure he receives the ball in these spaces and pockets."

“The only thing we are working on with him is always receiving the ball to hurt the opposition,” he added. “If you saw (against Liverpool) the work ethic without the ball, that defines with Cherki how he is growing. He wants to improve as well.”

It's a frightening prospect that this version of Cherki is nowhere near the finished article. He's in his first season under Pep Guardiola, his first season in the Premier League and his first season with City. As first impressions go, it's been a sensational start.

"I remember my first day in training; some of the skills he was pulling off I was thinking what kind of player is he?" recalls Semenyo. "But he's a top player, creative with the ball and we love it."

City fans love it, too.