Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably at least heard a few whispers about Ousmane Dembele. The young Rennes prodigy could be the new Cristiano Ronaldo, at least according to former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre, who is now an advisor at the French outfit.
Silvestre remembers when Ronaldo came to Manchester United, and says Dembele has similar attributes. Photo: @ManUtdMEN | Twitter
We don't know about you, but we've heard almost every young prodigy under the sun get compared to Ronaldo. Adnan Januzaj, Eden Hazard, Felipe Anderson, Memphis Depay, Ashley Young, Wilfried Zaha, Leroy Sane, Bebe, Nani and even Yannick Bolasie, just to name a few.
The one thing that all of those players have in common is that they have come nowhere near the level of the Portuguese winger, although we maintain hope for a few of those youngsters. As such, we decided to take a closer look at this kid to see if he could be the real deal.
First, we'll attempt to clear up any confusion about who this kid is. This is not the same Dembele whom Tottenham tried to sign in January. That was Moussa Dembele, another French youth with potential currently playing at Fulham. Ousmane Dembele is an 18-year-old French winger who currently plays for Stade Rennais FC, or Rennes for short.
He has had something of a breakout season in France, scoring 10 goals and adding five assists in 19 games so far. As a result, he has started to attract attention from some huge clubs, including Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, with Bayern thought to be in the lead for his signature per ESPN FC.
10 - Ousmane Dembélé is the first U19 player to reach 10 goals in Ligue 1 over the last 25 seasons. Hopeful. pic.twitter.com/9pa1dAnlpz
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) March 21, 2016
Ousmane Dembele is a right-footed left winger with electric pace and good close control. He loves chasing onto balls hit over the top, then cutting inside to unleash a shot. Dembele can play on either flank equally well although his decision-making could be improved, especially inside the penalty area.
He can be guilty of being a bit selfish at times, taking shots when there are better options available. Despite that, he actually has a good range of passing and decent vision which will only improve as he matures.
Ousmane Dembele: Has completed at least 22 more successful dribbles (61) than any other player in Ligue 1 in 2016
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) March 21, 2016
He definitely reminds of Ronaldo, with perhaps a little bit of Neymar as well. His running from deep also reminds us of Angel Di Maria in full flow, and given his adaptability along the front line, he could even become a Luis Suarez-type striker.
Regardless of who you compare him to, he's extremely promising and is one to watch for sure. Whomever manages to win the bidding war for him is sure to have a future star on their books.
Follow me on Twitter @J_Hansen_89
