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In his large selection of 29 players for the Nations League games against Denmark (05/09) and Iceland (08/09), national coach Roberto Martínez has left room for some surprises.
In addition to Landry Dimata, the first call-up of his young teammate, Jérémy Doku, attracted particular attention.
The 18-year-old winger seems to have the weapons to become the ideal replacement for Eden Hazard.
August 25, 2020. With just under ten months to go before the last game against Cyprus, national coach Roberto Martínez announces his selection for the first two games of the Nations League.
To everyone’s surprise, we found the names of Landry Dimata and Jérémy Doku.
While the convocation letter for the 18-year-old dribbler was not a surprise in itself, it was only the moment that caused some to frown.
Doku managed to do well last year with a rebuilding Anderlecht team. Despite the disappointing results, viewers were able to appreciate the hatching of young nuggets like the wing turning.
The speed devil still lacks precision
Both in the shortened 2019-2020 season and at the start of this exercise, the 18-year-old winger, who can play both on the right and on the left, impresses with his incessant acceleration.
Despite just 24 appearances last season, he has 55 successful dribbles, clinching a spot in the top 5 dribblers in the Jupiler Pro League and even claiming the title of the most successful teen dribbler in Europe.
However, these same statistics also show his biggest work point: efficiency. Too often, “Jerre” fails to catch up with a teammate in front of goal after an impressive sprint. Sometimes we even have the impression that he is centered with his eyes closed.
His punches also lack precision or strength. Last year, Doku scored 4 goals and provided 3 assists.
Statistics too scarce for an attacking player, but the youngster also notices.
“I understood that professional football is not a show where you have to show your dribbling numbers and your spins. A forward who does not score or does not give an assist will always be the target. You will be judged by your statistics,” Doku said in his the first big interview with Sport / Foot magazine a few weeks ago.
The future dynamite of the national team?
Doku, sometimes compared to Raheem Sterling or Douglas Costa, could well become the natural successor to ‘Eden Hazard in the Red Devils’. At 29, Eden will be able to hold out for a few more years at the top level, but with Doku, we may have already found a contender for the throne. According to former Anderlecht manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck, the youngster could have a more important career than that of the Belgian legend.
During his first season at Real Madrid, the eldest of the Hazard brothers certainly won a title, but he didn’t have a big role to play.
With ankle problems and other persistent pain, the captain of the national team made just 22 games for Real and has never really been able to shine.
It remains to be seen if national coach Roberto Martínez will give his jewel an extra break against Denmark and Iceland in preparation for the next season that begins on September 20 for Madrid.
This will perhaps be the occasion for Jérémy Doku to get his first minutes of play and show why some consider him the successor of Hazard. According to Martínez, his future “
Source: Proximus.be
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