A club like Milan is never a stranger to scouting some of the best talents in European football. The club’s shine might have worn off in recent years but they still have a name in the global market. Their recent dip into the Belgian market saw them signing Alexis Saelemaekers from Anderlecht. The recent reports linking them with a move for Aster Vranckx show that the club might just be digging into that part of the world.
Vranckx is still 17 and there is no shortage of clubs looking at him. This includes Juventus and Manchester City, bar Milan. That goes to show that the player might not be another one of those talents. After all, he has broken into the Mechelen first-team at the tender age of 17.
For a midfielder to do that is probably a tougher task. Midfield battles decide games and for a youngster to play in those decisive positions screams of maturity.
This season, Vranckx has made nine appearances in the Jupiler Pro League for Mechelen. While playing as the central midfielder, the Belgian Under-19s man has picked up one goal and two assists. His goal came against Anderlecht, helping Mechelen to a 2-0 win. It’s for this reason alone that the analysts behind the latest betting sign up offers are backing him to make a big move this summer.
His debut too had come against Anderlecht early in the season. He had started in that game, playing 52 minutes of a 0-0 draw.
Despite his tender age, Vrancks has an imposing physique of 1.83 metres. He has won 48 percent of his aerial duels this season, coming up with 1.6 successful aerial duels per 90 minutes. It helps him dominate games and impose his authority in the heart of the park.
Vranckx is also a keen and fierce tackler in midfield. He has won as many as 2.3 tackles per 90 minutes, losing only 1.7 of them per 90 minutes. This has made sure that his tackling accuracy stands at an impressive 57 percent. It adds to his physically robust approach to the game.
He completes five recoveries per game, using his physique and ability to good effect. Not just that, but he also creates one chance per game for Mechelen. As things stand, his passing accuracy in the team’s own half is 85.2 percent because he plays deeper. That lowers in an advanced position and it shows that technical ability isn’t a strength for him.
The fact that he plays only 25 passes per 90 isn’t a big thing. But for a player who is still 17 and still getting into the habit of playing regularly, that is hardly a surprise.
At 17, he’s already become a regular for the Belgium Under-19s side and that is further proof to how mature he is. He’s made five appearances for them, making his debut against Portugal U19s.
Big clubs scouting him, in that sense, is hardly not a strange thing. He has the mould of a dominating midfielder who can help teams grab control of matches and win them at will. Maturity like that at the age of 17 is very rare and unique to have.
Milan could not be looking to scout him for regular football. Only they know what the plan could be. But for any club to look at signing Vranckx is a big positive sign indeed.
