David Penneman: Sporting player as talented as Marco Verratti | OneFootball

David Penneman worked with Zaid Bafdili and compares Sporting’s young prodigy to Marco Verratti, the Italian international midfielder.

Zaid Bafdili is one of the great hopes of Belgium’s youth ranks. The midfielder signed with Sporting in the summer transfer window, but was also coveted by Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, and Chelsea. However, he chose Alvalade and David Penneman appreciated the decision, praising the youngster.

"Zaid has long been considered one of the most talented midfielders of his age group, born in 2007, for combining his running ability with technique and ball recovery. He went through Anderlecht and Mechelen before moving to Genk, and the fact that Sporting, a club with one of the most respected academies in Europe, chose to sign him at just 17 years old is a clear sign of his reputation as a top talent," said Belgium’s U-19 coach to the newspaper A Bola.

Penneman describes Zaid Bafdili as "an absolute and energetic winner on and off the pitch," recalling their connection: "I have been following and working with Zaid for four years. The last year was not easy for him due to complications with the transfer. In fact, it was a very difficult period, because he is an energetic boy and, suddenly, he wasn’t getting any playing time. He was sidelined. During that period, we kept in frequent contact because I wanted to support him, and we also invited him during the March international break to be with us because he is an important link within the group, but also to give him the necessary support."

Asked to describe Bafdili, Penneman did not hesitate: "His running ability, ball recovery, offensive runs, and intensity are what characterize him, perhaps that’s why he resembles Verratti [the Italian midfielder who currently plays for Al-Duhail in Saudi Arabia] so much. As for what he needs to improve, as with all young players at that age, it’s about managing that running ability and scoring goals after his good incursions into the box."

To conclude, the coach left a message for the Lions’ midfielder: "Zaid, trust in your qualities, but never stop adding new things to your game. At Sporting you’ll be surrounded by winners, embrace the intensity every day in training and add your own as well. Work on your body, push your limits, and keep playing with the same attitude that brought you here."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.