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Jeremy Doku, the new star of the Premier League and Manchester City, has surprised former managers who remember their lazy personalities in the past.

The Sun, a British media outlet, reported on the 22nd (Korea Standard Time) that "the success of Manchester City's new star Jeremy Doku surprised his former directors."

Ahead of the new season, Manchester City officially signed Jeremy Doku, a young Belgian winger born in 2002 who played for Stadren (France). His contract is five years, and his transfer fee, known to the outside world, is 65 million euros (about 93.3 billion won).

Doku, who scored 12 goals in 92 appearances for France's Ligue 1, is considered the next ace of the Belgian national soccer team as a promising player with explosive speed. With Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez leaving for Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli, Manchester City are in an attacking vacuum and have signed Doku to replace Mahrez.

Doku, who was expected to need an adjustment period as he was a young player and his first time playing in the Premier League, established himself as a starting player for Manchester City by performing amazingly in every game as soon as he joined. Since the opening, Doku has appeared in 14 games, recording 3 goals and 6 assists.

In particular, in the 11th round match against Bournemouth in the 2023/24 season Premier League, Doku scored 1 goal and 4 assists alone, leading to a 6-1 victory. 4 assists in one game is a Premier League record. Also, according to soccer statistics media 'Opta', Doku became the youngest player to record as many as five attack points in one Premier League game.

Doku has emerged as the future of Manchester City with his outstanding performance since his debut season, and his former coaches could not hide their surprise when they saw his success. These are the coaches of the Belgian club Anderlecht, where Doku has worked since his youth. At the time, Doku was a promising player who made his debut in the first team at the age of 16, but he was criticized a lot by coaches for his lazy personality.

The media released interviews with the coaches, saying, “Doku made the coaches angry during his eight years at Anderlecht.” “Doku didn’t like running, he didn’t like playing defense, and he didn’t like using the fitness room,” said Benoit Hagemann, a member of the Belgian youth national team.

“Doku had a lot of confidence, but everyone at Anderlecht thought he had to work harder,” he added. “He had to get better with his left foot, his aerial prowess, his positioning, everything.”

“Everyone at the club thought Doku was good enough to play professionally for Anderlecht and other Belgian clubs, but not the best clubs in Europe like Manchester City,” he said. “We were a little surprised by him, but most of all we were very impressed. “I’m proud,” he said.

Jan Berlinden, who was in charge of Doku's training at Anderlecht, said, "Doku's outstanding quality was 'daring to take on challenges and repeating them.' Even when he lost the ball, he tried the same action again, sometimes irritating the coaches. “But many overseas clubs, such as Liverpool and Chelsea, began to follow his progress,” he explained.

Attention is being paid to whether Doku, who is currently performing sensationally in the Premier League and has been reborn as a star of Manchester City, will be able to continue his efforts in the future to become a star representing the Premier League.