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Who’s this 18-year-old Portuguese sensation chased by Manchester City and Arsenal? All you need to know

Scout Report – Joao Felix

As per Portuguese outlet O Jogo, Premier League giants Manchester City and Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Benfica starlet Joao Felix. The teenage midfielder has attracted quite a lot of attention this season, owing to his potent displays in the middle of the park. In fact, it comes as no surprise that City and Arsenal are closely monitoring the situation, hoping to complete a deal this summer.

The report also goes on to claim that scouts from these two clubs attended a game to watch Felix play for Benfica B last week. On paper, he seems like an attractive option but how good is the youngster?

Let’s take a closer look at his profile.

History

Born in 1999 in Viseu, Portugal, Felix embarked on his football career as a youth star for Os Pestinhas. The club played quite a hand at sharpening his skills because he eventually attracted attention from Portuguese giants FC Porto. Although it seemed like a major move for him at the point, the club released him after seven years due to his small frame in 2014. After taking a little break, Felix chose to join Benfica in 2015 and has been with the club ever since.

Felix made his debut for the Benfica reserve team at the age of 16, which saw him become the youngest ever player to debut for Benfica B. From then on, there has been no end to his achievements and he recently shot to fame after scoring a hat-trick against FC Famalicao towards the end of January.

 

Playing Style

Felix is extremely versatile and is an out-and-out attacker. Although he can play in a variety of attacking positions, the18-year-old seems to thrive on the left-wing. His game is very technical which is quite surprising for a player as young as him. However, his creativity is top-notch and he is blessed with a strong sense of positional awareness as well. Felix can combine his pace, mobility and energy to beat opponent defenders in almost all situations.

In addition to that, his goalscoring vision is excellent and he can score and set-up for his teammates with equal ease. Despite his many skills though, Felix has a long way to go and he needs to work on his aggression.

Felix’s Future

A move to the Premier League can unlock a lot of closed doors for players across the world but for somebody as young as Felix, it might be best to continue with Benfica for the time being. Moving to either of these two foreign clubs could jeopardise his time on the field and it might take some time before he can adapt to the change in surroundings – all of which will impact his performances for sure. Hence, the best thing for him would be to stay put with Benfica for now and think about moving after a few years perhaps.

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