Ensconced within another generation of outstanding, young French talent, there’s a little midfielder who is making a bigger splash than most.
Considering the speculation surrounding Eduardo Camavinga, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this lad has been on the scene for a long time. As if his dynamic midfield presence has been a regular feature in Ligue Un, and that Les Bleus jersey was basically made to his measurements alone.
In reality, the kid has only been in a Rennes outfit for two years – where he has remained ever since. Originally raised within the club’s youth system after making his way there at the age of 11, Camavinga’s raw talent soon earned his way to becoming the club’s youngest ever professional football player; only 5 years after joining as a pre-teen.
Since then, Eduardo Camavinga has basically had his name permanently etched onto the Stade Rennais team-sheet. Making almost seventy appearances in just over two seasons, it begins to paint a picture of his importance to the squad when his team … don’t necessarily have many ambitions beyond home soil.
In Ligue Un and the Coupe de France, the youngster’s provincial talents in the pivot-midfield position has become a feature in red and black. Couple this with his ability to find the forward pass and an unerring sense of knowing where his colleagues are at all times, and you have the makings of a truly exciting central midfield player.
Unfortunately for his current employers, their relative lack of stature compared to other Western European institutions implies that he might not be there for long. Especially when you remember that this lad is due to become a free agent by the summer of 2022. And it looks like the threat of a Bosman-induced loss might ‘encourage’ the Rennes officials to cash in while they still have the chance!
As elegantly put by the guys over at Tifo Football above, the entire hype surrounding Eduardo Camavinga is a combination of his contract situation and the various weapons in his midfield arsenal. Also, the world seems to have wised up to the importance of a dynamic midfield player when transitioning from defence to attack.
In this area, there are very few young players who appear to bring the immediate talent and eventual longevity that the Frenchman can bring. Plus, he has proven to have somewhat of a ‘big game’ mentality when playing against the larger French sides and for the France national team. And with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal circling about, the sky really is the limit for this precocious teenager!