Former Premier League defender Kolo Toure has heaped praise on Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku for his excellent showing against Liverpool at the Etihad on Saturday, November 25.
The Belgium international caught the eye as Pep Guardiola's side settled for a 1-1 draw against Jurgen Klopp's side.
Erling Haaland scored for Manchester City in the 27th minute as the Cityzens capitalized on a miskick from Alisson Becker. Trent Alexander-Arnold secured a 80th minute equalizer for Liverpool but had a very difficult evening against Doku.
Doku has been an instant hit at the Etihad following his £55.5 million move from Rennes in the summer. The Belgian has established himself as a key player for the Sky Blues and has been a nightmare for opponent defenders so far.
Kolo Toure singled out the 21-year-old for praise following his wonderful showing against the Reds. The former Ivory Coast international insisted that he was so dangerous that Liverpool players had to double up to stop the Manchester City winger. Toure said about Doku on Premier League Productions, as quoted by TBR Football:
“He’s a player who is really dangerous. They always need to keep their discipline, making sure they double up on him to stop him coming inside or going out.”
Doku has produced three goals and six assists in 15 appearances for his new side this season upon his arrival. The Belgian became the youngest player in Premier League history to have five goal involvements in one game as he scored once and provided four assists in a 6-1 win against Bournemouth.
John Barnes backs Liverpool to 'push Manchester City all the way' in the PL this season
Liverpool icon John Barnes has insisted that his former club have what it takes to challenge Manchester City on all fronts this season. Pep Guardiola's side won the treble last season while the Reds endured a season to forget and even missed out on Champions League qualification.
However, John Barnes has claimed that Jurgen Klopp's side have improved drastically this season and should be able to compete with the Cityzens. He said, as quoted by The Daily Mail:
"Liverpool can challenge on all fronts. We’re very close to the top in the league, FA Cup we’re in the top two or few to win it. We are favourites to win the Europa League and still in the League Cup. I expect us to push Manchester City all the way this year in the Premier League, though. Last season was a transitional period in terms of age and position."
He added:
"We couldn’t get the right midfielders so we didn't buy for the sake of it. We had a lot of forwards like (Cody) Gakpo, (Luis) Diaz and (Darwin) Nunez but the midfield was getting past their best."
Liverpool will be happy to have secured a crucial point against Manchester City at the Etihad despite not being at their best. A draw means that the Cityzens remain at the top of the table with 29 points with the Reds trailing them by just one point.