Pep Guardiola believes there are no limits to what Manchester City's mercurial Rayan Cherki can achieve at the highest level.
Cherki is registering a goal or assist every 74 minutes during an encouraging debut season and has become a mainstay in Guardiola's preferred starting XI in recent weeks.
The £31million summer signing from Lyon possesses unique flair in the final third and laid on a sumptuous rabona assist for Phil Foden in a win over Sunderland earlier this month.
Guardiola wants Cherki to perfect the simple things - and is hoping for an improvement off the ball - but is enthused by the 22-year-old's start to life in the Premier League.
'The sky is the limit as the people say, right?' Guardiola said. 'It depends on him. Whatever he wants to become, he can achieve it because of course he is an incredibly talented, talented player.'
Guardiola has made similar remarks about Foden in the past, before the academy graduate became a crucial cog in City's side. Cherki has offered a different dimension in attacking areas, with City hopeful of wrapping up a £65m deal to land Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo as extra reinforcement.
City would allow a current attacker to leave were they to finalise a move for Semenyo.
'Everything can happen,' Guardiola added. 'Last season, when I started last season I never could expect to go in the transfer window with four or five players. It is open and everything can happen.'
Guardiola joked that he had piled on the pounds during a three-day Christmas break in which he went back to Spain to visit his father, Valenti.
He maintained that players had always remained professional over the Christmas period throughout his tenure at the Etihad Stadium, suggesting that all squad members came back fully fit after their boss had warned of paying close attention to weights ahead of the trip to Nottingham Forest.
'It is going really well - we are there,' Guardiola said. 'In the Champions League we are up there, in the Premier League we are up there, we have the semi-final of the Carabao Cup. Some important players are coming back too. Rodri is much, much better.'