Manchester City’s £86m summer signing has surprised former City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips with his performance and his composure of a player twice his age. The former player believes he is already ranks among the finest young players in English football.
Ayyoub Bouaddi arrived at the Etihad from Lille in the summer transfer window as one of the more eye-catching pieces of business under new head coach Enzo Maresca, despite having only just turned 18.
Wright-Phillips, who spent eight years on Manchester City’s books between 1999 and 2005 before further spells at Chelsea and QPR, has watched the teenager’s early City performances with a mixture of admiration and disbelief.
“Calm on the ball” like no one else his age
Speaking to Betway, Wright-Phillips did not hold back in his praise of Bouaddi’s ability on the ball, insisting he had rarely seen a player so young handle himself so well in such a demanding role.
“The flashes I’ve seen of him, I don’t think I’ve seen somebody as calm as him on the ball in that position in the Premier League at the age 18,” Wright-Phillips said.
He went on to highlight the physical and technical attributes that set the midfielder apart from most teenagers making the step up to the Premier League.
“He just knows where to put his body. He’s a big person as well, and he plays those passes that cut lines as well. I’ve seen him drive with the ball, so he’s got a lot of aspects to him.”
It is high praise from a man who won two Premier League titles and an FA Cup during his career and who has since become a respected voice on the modern game as a pundit and coach.
A statement signing who must now wait his turn
City’s decision to pay Lille in the region of £86m for Bouaddi raised eyebrows given his tender age, but it also underlined the scale of the club’s ambition to secure him before other suitors could move.
He had already accumulated two full seasons of senior football in Ligue 1 before the switch to Manchester, and did enough to earn a place in Morocco’s World Cup squad — remarkable experience for a player who is still only 18.
That grounding appears to explain why Bouaddi has looked so unfazed in the flashes of first-team action he has had under Maresca so far. He impressed against Porto in the Champions League and produced an assist in City’s 5-0 Carabao Cup victory over Norwich City, performances that have only added to the sense of excitement around his long-term potential.
However, regular Premier League football has proved harder to come by. Bouaddi was an unused substitute as City beat Sunderland last weekend, and he has been restricted to just 22 minutes of league action in total this season.
Competition in midfield has intensified since the summer arrival of Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea, leaving Maresca with an increasingly crowded engine room to choose from.
For now, patience will be required. Maresca has shown throughout his managerial career a willingness to build his midfield around control and composure in possession. But the Italian coach also has senior, proven options to call upon while the teenager continues his adaptation to English football.
Judging by the reaction of those who have watched him closely, though, it may not be long before Bouaddi is handed a more prominent role.
