Name: Manuel Lanzini
Club: River Plate
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 18
After spending the last couple of weeks examining the emerging talents coming out of Brazil, ThisisFutbol’s South American Watch returns to Argentina and to to one of the most celebrated academies in the world, River Plate. The River Plate academy is famous across the globe for producing some of the worlds great players. Esteban Cambiasso, Pablo Aimar, Javier Saviola and Ariel Ortega have all come from through the academy, into the River Plate first team and onto Europe for vast sums of money. Nicknamed la joya, (the jewel) Manuel Lanzini is set to join those names and leave for Europe for a big money fee.
Manuel Lanzini was first spotted by the famous Ramon Madoni; responsible for Juan Roman Riqueleme, Fernando Gago and Carlos Tevez but declined the chance to join Boca and moved to Los Millonarios. He hasn’t looked back. Lanzini has made it look easy, climbing through the youth ranks and has become one of River Plate’s most important players – at just 18. Lanzini shot to prominence in only his second game for the senior side, putting in a masterful display against Independiente. He replaced Ariel Ortega and was instrumental in helping River to a 3-2 victory. Not only did Argentina sit up and take notice but those in Europe also started to keep tabs on la joya.
Lanzini is a typical Argentine number 10. Like Aimar, Ortega and Riquelme he plays off the striker and he’s a classic Argentine playmaker. La joya has incredible control, a superb range of passing and shows great flair in his game. He is fast becoming one of the most creative and forward thinking players in the Argentine league. As well as his control, he is able to beat players and shows a superb turn of pace. Although he is small, he has the physical attributes to make it (in Europe’s top leagues) where other Argentinians have failed. His versatility gives him the edge over other players. Something managers are taking into consideration more and more in modern football. Manuel Lanzini’s days in Argentina look numbered with reported interest coming from Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Juventus.
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This article was written by Tom Costello and is courtesy of our partner website thisisfutbol.com. Read the latest news and blogs about European Football at TiF. – ed
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That’s how the Italians and Spanish teams always end up with the flair players worth mega-millions like Messi, Kaka et al; snatch the best young players from South America as they begin to emerge as first team players.
It’s a market that Liverpool, and the entire Premiership in general really, continues to overlook somehow, even in spite of the leagues typically showcasign pace, aggressiveness and technical ability altogether
Any report on the excellent Erik Lamela
Hi Decky, Here’s my article on Lamela if you’re interested: http://live4liverpool.com/2011/03/view-from-the-kop/erik-lamela-a-star-of-liverpools-future