Eduardo Camavinga: Scout report of Europe's top wonderkids

Bengaluru, September 26: The top clubs in Europe are always in an ever-going process of finding talents across the globe in order to improve their squad.

To achieve success on a consistent basis, only a good first team and a quality bench is not enough. A good scouting network is a must for any club in order to sustain at the top level.

Scouting network of the bigger clubs are getting stronger and stronger nowadays and they are all looking at especially the young talents who can be long-term prospects.

With the transfer market getting more and more inflated, signing players after they become stars is becoming all the more difficult and that is why most teams are focusing on getting the best youngsters when they are much younger and raw.

A player who has recently attracted interest from most of the European elites at the tender age of just 16 is Eduardo Camavinga who comes from the reputed youth academy of Rennes.

The youngster has been scouted regularly by a host of clubs across Europe including Premier League trio of Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur as well as Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

And of course, French giants PSG are also in the race. In fact, Camavinga earned the spotlight especially after his sensational display against the French champions in the game when Rennes stunned them 2-1 earlier this campaign.

At just 16 years of age, Camavinga is already a regular for a decent team in one of the top five leagues in Europe and has everything to excite the footballing world. The Angola-born midfielder created the record for the youngest ever player to record an assist in Ligue 1 and that too playing in a defensive midfield role.

Last season, Camavinga broke another record becoming the first player born after January 1, 2002 to start a game in Europe’s top five leagues, when he was named in the eleven against Monaco last May.

His rapid rise has drawn comparisons to French sensation Kylian Mbappe although the two players are much different players. Camavinga is a defensive midfielder and his best traits are his strength and tactical awareness which is gifted for a player who is just 16.

Against a much stronger team like PSG, the 16-year-old completed all but one of his 41 passes at Roazhon Park as he outshone PSG star midfield duo Marco Verratti and Marquinhos.

He can play as a solitary defensive midfielder behind two box to box midfielders and he also is quite capable of playing in a two-man midfield. He excels in most defensive aspects of the game namely recoveries, blocks, clearances and interceptions but also needs to improve on a few areas like aerial duels and success rate in sliding tackles.

However, at 16 years of age, he is still much ahead of his age and will only improve with time and experience. What makes him stand out from the rest is his technical abilities which is a must for a modern day defensive midfielder, a role that is much beyond just a destroyer or a ball-winner.