Rayan Cherki came off the bench to spark a dramatic comeback for Manchester City against Bournemouth on Sunday, but his clear frustration at being left out of the starting eleven is now one of the defining stories of manager Enzo Maresca's early tenure at the club.

The France playmaker delivered two decisive contributions in the second half — swinging in the corner that led to Marc Guehi's equaliser and producing the assist for Josko Gvardiol's added-time winner. The performance was emphatic, the kind that makes the selection debate impossible to ignore.

"He made an impact the other day," Maresca told BBC Sport. "In terms of quality, he is a different player to the rest because he can give us moments when we struggle in the last third. He has the quality that we need, but it depends also on the game plan and the opponent that we play."

A player who wears his heart on his sleeve

Maresca did not shy away from Cherki's temperament when speaking to reporters ahead of the trip to Crystal Palace on Friday. "Rayan is quite a nice and clear boy," the Italian said. "If he is not happy he wants to show it. If he's next to me and he's not happy, you all realise that he is not happy because he is doing anything just to show that he is not happy."

Those emotions were on display too at this summer's World Cup, where Cherki played a limited role despite representing France. His sole start came in the third-fourth place play-off against England, though he was withdrawn at half-time with his side 4-0 down. Videos circulated showing what appeared to be his displeasure directed at France coach Didier Deschamps — an episode that drew significant attention.

In total, Cherki accumulated just 124 minutes of play across the entire tournament.

Questions before the signing

Manchester City's Amazon documentary shed light on the uncertainty that surrounded Cherki before his £30m move from Lyon in June 2025. Club chief executive Ferran Soriano was candid about initial reservations: "The information on Cherki was not so positive, I will be very honest. Everybody knew about his abilities, but there was this idea that he was chaotic."

Under Pep Guardiola last season, Cherki featured 33 times in the Premier League — 14 of those appearances coming as a substitute. Now, under Maresca, the pattern has continued, even as his influence from the bench grows impossible to overlook.

Numbers that demand attention

Since the start of last season, Cherki has recorded 12 open-play assists in the Premier League — more than any other player in the competition during that period. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year and nominated for the Young Player of the Year award at Tuesday's ceremony in Manchester, where he was pictured in good spirits, posing for photographs and signing autographs for supporters.

At full-time on Sunday, Maresca was seen placing his arms around Cherki's shoulders in what appeared to be a pointed conversation. The contents of that exchange have not been made public. When asked whether Cherki would earn a starting place soon, Maresca's answer was unambiguous: "Absolutely, yeah." The 23-year-old will now hope to hold his patience long enough to see that promise delivered.