The Man City maverick bucking the modern-day trend: Why ‘special’ talent could be Pep Guardiola’s ace in the hole in an age of power and NFL-style instructions

Mavericks are in short supply at the moment, not particularly wanted or needed in this age. It’ll change once football enters another cycle but for now, runners and power win. The ability to follow set, meticulously planned NFL-style instructions win.

Rayan Cherki is not any of those things. He is not a modern-day attacker. He is a freer spirit, somebody who other top clubs must have passed on. He is from an era long gone – and that is no bad thing.

So when one source revealed recently that