Scout Report – Mouctar Diakhaby
Lyon defender Mouctar Diakhaby has reportedly caught Manchester City’s fancy as Pep Guardiola is understood to have begun scanning the market for reinforcements in January. City are currently unbeaten in 13 matches this season and have won 11 of those. They have no reason to worry and look like the team to beat as of now. However, the manager is keen on recruiting new defenders to further strengthen the back line.
City scouts monitored the tall Lyon centre-back against Everton in Thursday’s Europa League match, and are believed to have been impressed with what they saw.
Let’s take a look at Diakhaby’s profile.
History
Born in France, Mouctar Diakhaby is a 20-year-old central defender. In spite of being so young, the player has already represented the France national youth teams starting from the France national U-19 football team.
As far as the club goes, playing for Lyon is his first foray in playing for top-flight clubs. Diakhaby made his debut for the Ligue1 side in 2016 against Bordeaux. He played the whole match but unfortunately, Lyon lost that night. Shortly after, Diakhaby scored his first goal in a 6–0 away win against Nantes.
Playing Style
Diakhaby is over six feet tall but he is extremely light on his feet which works in his favour. He is adept at passing the ball to maintain a healthy possession rate, while also being quite accurate. Short passes appeal more to him than long ones, and his physical strength helps at keeping opposition attackers at bay.
Also, the player is known for clearing the ball out of the defence quite often. Diakhaby does not shy away from making crucial interceptions and tackles, and is a player that relentlessly tries to make things happen.
Diakhaby’s Future
Guardiola is still at least one centre-half short in his squad as Vincent Kompany struggles to stay fit, particularly after missing out on West Brom’s Jonny Evans over the summer. Although the club have been looking for suitable candidates, they are yet to zero in on somebody who could be a regular starter.
City may not be frail at the back but they could certainly use a fresh, young talent to strengthen the back line. The upcoming months will only get tougher and with Kompany’s fitness concerns, it would be advisable to sign a new recruit in that area.
Diakhaby might be young but he is not inexperienced. He has enough European experience, which should help him in adjusting to the Premier League. Thus, moving to City will certainly provide good exposure for the youngster while also giving him chances to showcase his talent.