Manchester United fans called for the immediate signing of Lyon’s most incisive player after an unusual skill was spotted by Rio Ferdinand.
Former Man Utd defender and pundit Ferdinand was eagle-eyed during the first half of the Red Devils’ Europa League quarter-final second leg against Ligue 1 side Lyon and clocked 21-year-old winger Rayan Cherki quietly showing off a capability few can match.
United took a 2-0 lead into the break and were 4-2 up in the tie, putting them 45 minutes away from a European semi-final at the end of a disappointing season.
But when Lyon were on the attack, Cherki was a threat both from open play and with corner kicks.
The highly-rated youngster was taking the set pieces from both sides of the pitch with either foot and Ferdinand, on commentary duty for TNT Sports alongside Darren Fletcher and Robbie Savage, was aghast.
“Can I just say? Cherki? He’s two-footed by way…” beamed the former England international.
Fletcher noted that he too had seen that Cherki was taking corners with both feet, prompting Ferdinand to draw a surprising comparison.
“The last person I saw do that was Nigel Quashie, he used to play for QPR, under-13s Sunday league he was taking them, both feet. It was mesmeric.”
Midfielder Quashie also played for Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Southampton, West Brom and West Ham in a very solid Premier League and EFL career that carries the unwelcome distinction of four relegations from the top flight.
Two-footed corner takers aren’t quite as rare as Ferdinand remembers.
Former Arsenal man Santi Cazorla was another bipedal set piece specialist and Ferdinand also scandalously overlooked the corner kick mastery of former Tooting & Mitcham United full-back Allan McLeod.
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