Jeremy Doku surprise factor adds to Man City excitement this season

Manchester City don't tend to do direct replacements.

Erling Haaland is a very different leader of the line than Sergio Aguero was, Ederson and Joe Hart are poles apart, and Rodri had to find his own way to success in midfield. As Pep Guardiola has said of teams trying to play in the same way, "Football is not copy and paste".

What is interesting about Jeremy Doku signing from Rennes for £55m is that it appears to offer City an option that they had moved away from. The manager has been quite clear that they have moved away from speedy wingers in recent years with Jack Grealish taking the role that Leroy Sane vacated to leave the side more about controlling possession than quick counters.

That would have continued if Riyad Mahrez had not surprised the club by leaving, and almost certainly will anyway given the ample options in the squad who are all set up to play the game of control. Nevertheless, the directness and pace that Doku offers is a throwback to the thrilling City sides that won the league in 2018 and 2019.

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At the very least, it should give opponents something else to think about. City bamboozled Newcastle on Saturday night by effectively leaving the entire right flank to Kyle Walker, and Doku is another profile that isn't normally associated with the current iteration of City.

The same is true to a lesser extent of Cole Palmer and James McAtee - if they stay at the club beyond the transfer window and Foden if he moves into midfield. They haven't shown what they can do in the shirt and, as academy graduates, will generate that extra buzz among the crowd if and when they get their opportunities.

Whether that change is good remains