Manchester City star Jeremy Doku is “one of the strongest footballers in the world” and showed it for Belgium this week.

That’s according to his Belgian teammate Charles de Ketelaere. He was full of praise for the Manchester City forward after his display in the 2-1 win over Türkiye.

Doku made an immediate impression in this game, which marked his return to Mark van Bommel’s side. It was his first international appearance since the World Cup. Incidentally that was also against Türkiye.

This time around he proved the key man in the win as he provided the assist for Kevin de Bruyne’s goal to level the scores.

He then initiated the move for De Ketelaere’s winning goal with an individual piece of skill that earned him plenty of plaudits. His own teammate was one of them.

Praise

De Ketelaere was asked about the Manchester City star after the game. And he insisted that he thinks the forward is one of the strongest in the world.

“We know how good he is,” he told Sporza.

“And we know how important it is for a team to have players who can take on and beat opponents. It creates space for the others. In one-on-one situations, he is one of the strongest footballers in the world.”

Manchester City spark

Manchester City will be hoping that a big performance against Türkiye for Belgium can be the spark that Doku needs to get going this season.

The forward has only managed one goal and one assist in 10 games in all competitions this season. Interestingly he hasn’t score or assisted in any of Manchester City’s last three games, all of which they have lost.

The 24-year-old is yet to really get back to full fitness after missing the start of the season with a calf injury. A big performance here, and perhaps another in their second game, could be the catalyst that he needs.