‘How does he see these things?’ – Paulo Fonseca blown away by ‘rare’ talent Rayan Cherki | OneFootball

Rayan Cherki (21), in what is highly likely to be his final season at formative club Olympique Lyonnais, is finally delivering the performances that his breakout performances as a teenager suggested that he was capable of delivering.

Cherki had previously been inconsistent, showing flashes and often lacking end product. However, that has changed this season. The France youth international has netted 11 goals and registered 18 assists in 38 games in all appearances this season, leading to calls for him to be handed a first call-up to the senior side by Didier Deschamps.

Whilst he has yet to convince Deschamps to hand him his debut for Les Bleus, he has quickly convinced Paulo Fonseca of his talent. The Portuguese manager replaced Pierre Sage at the end of January and the maverick playmaker has quickly made an impression.

“I have been at some big clubs and I have rarely seen this kind of player,” former Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Roma, Lille OSC, and AC Milan manager Fonseca told L’Équipe. He added, “Rayan is a talent. Sometimes, in the middle of a session, I ask myself: ‘How does he see these things?'”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle