Jeremy Doku is targeting a higher goal return at Manchester City — and he is looking to former City winger Raheem Sterling for inspiration on how to get there.

The Belgian winger, who joined City for £55 million in 2023, has built a reputation as one of the most electrifying attackers in European football. His ability to beat defenders with raw pace and fearless dribbling has produced 34 assists across all competitions since his arrival at the Etihad. But Doku believes his output in front of goal can climb much higher.

The tap-in principle

Doku finished this season with eight strikes — matching his career-best — thanks to a late run that included an FA Cup semi-final winner and a brace against Everton. Yet the 24-year-old is far from satisfied.

He points to two forwards as the models he wants to emulate. The first is Vinicius Junior of Brazil and Real Madrid, a player he has been asked to compare himself with. "I was asked if I think I'm able to reach that level, and I'd be crazy if I said no," Doku told FourFourTwo. "I know my qualities and where I want to go, and if I'm in more positions to score goals, I can be up there."

The second name Doku cites is Sterling — his predecessor on the left flank at City. Doku sees Sterling as the definitive example of a winger who dramatically boosted his goal tally by making a habit of arriving at the back post for tap-ins others would miss.

"When I look at Raheem, the amount of tap-ins that he scored, the easy goals, just because he was in that position — that's something I really look up to. It might seem easy, but the most difficult thing is to get into that position."

Doku acknowledged that Sterling would often make that run five times before the ball finally arrived. "It demands consistency, to not give up, to keep on finding those positions," he said.

Guardiola's input

Manager Pep Guardiola has nudged Doku toward greater penalty-area presence, though Doku is keen to stress the conversations have been constructive rather than critical. "He'd tell me sometimes to be in that position, but it wasn't like he was saying, 'Jeremy, I'm not happy, I need more,'" Doku explained.

Doku also defended the broader value he brings beyond goals. "It's not as if I can be invisible for the whole game — I'm involved, creating danger, giving key passes for goals," he said. "My goals are always ones I create for myself — difficult goals, dribbling, and then shooting. If you have five, six, or seven tap-ins a season, that already changes a lot."

With Belgium closing in on his 50th international cap and City expecting more from him in front of goal, Doku appears determined to add the easy finish to an already formidable attacking game.