Perhaps deploying their maverick in a free role is best for Man City.

One feature of the Club World Cup from a Man City point of view was seeing Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki play their first games for the club. Although Pep Guardiola’s side went out of the tournament at the round of 16 stage with a 4-3 defeat to Al Hilal, all three players showed glimpses of their quality in the United States.

But in the case of Rayan Cherki, as…