Jeremy Doku has revealed that Reece James is the toughest player he faced in his debut season at Manchester City.
Doku has made 42 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side, who won a record fourth consecutive Premier League title last weekend.
The Belgian could be set to play one final key role for City in the FA Cup final against Manchester United on Saturday, live on talkSPORT.
Doku, a winger, has played against many talented defenders this season but when asked to name his toughest opponent, it’s Chelsea right-back James who takes top spot.
When reflecting on his first campaign at City with SPORTbible, he said: “I’ve played against so many good defenders. Now it’s become so much more difficult with teams playing more defensively.
“I would say Reece James. I think he is a very strong and good defender, and one of the hardest I’ve ever played against.”
Doku and James have met just once during the season, with both starting in Chelsea and City’s thrilling 4-4 draw in November.
The latter’s five tackles was the most by any player on the pitch and he joined Marc Cucurella with the most tackles won on three.
It also proved to be a busy match for Doku as he completed 15 duels and was successful in five of his ten dribbles at Stamford Bridge.
James proved to be one of the best performers overall though as he also assisted Raheem Sterling, with Doku clearly impressed.
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Even though City dropped points in their trip to west London they were still able to win their eighth Premier League title.
Doku featured in 29 of their league matches throughout the season, scoring three goals and assisting nine others.
He even set up Phil Foden for their second goal in the crucial 3-1 win over West Ham on the final day to help secure the crown.
The 21-year-old can go even further on Saturday though by winning the FA Cup to seal back-to-back doubles for City.