Eduardo Camavinga - Stade Rennais' teenage mid-field diamond 

On 19 August 2019, a lanky 16-year-old made the world take notice as he dominated one of the best mid-fields in world football. The crowd at the Roazhon Park could only watch in awe as their team Stade Rennais FC beat the league's defending champions Paris Saint Germain (PSG) 2-1; thanks in no small part to the teenager - Eduardo Camavinga.

Already valued at €42 million by Transfermarkt, the youngster is a real physical presence in the Rennes mid-field. He has strength and stamina, playing over 2100 minutes this season, winning an impressive 1.3 aerial duels a match on an average.

The France U-21 international is a true defensive asset. He makes an astounding 4.3 tackles a game, which is more than N'Golo Kante at 2.1, Marco Verratti at 2.7 and Lucas Tousart at 2.4 a game. His 1.4 interceptions per game betters Marco Veratti's 1.0 and Lucas Tousart's 1.3 a game. To round off these astonishing defensive numbers, the young sensation makes 1.3 clearences and 0.3 blocks on average, every time he plays.

1 - Eduardo Camavinga is now the youngest player to score with Rennes in Ligue 1 in the post-war period (17 years & 35 days). Diamond 💎. pic.twitter.com/msKJ7DaoZO

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) December 15, 2019

Apart from his defensive astuteness, Camavinga's contributions going forward are also notable. His passing accuracy clock in at a solid 87.7 percent and he contributes to 2.5 long balls a game on average.

Camavinga's work off the ball is just as incredible as his skills with it. He has a knack for finding space and often drops between the opposition's lines. Press resistance is also one of his strengths and he helps 'Les Rouge et Noir' (the Red and Blacks) to play under pressure. By dictating the tempo of the game, Camavinga helps his team win the crucial mid-field battle in every game and get the upper hand on their opponents.

His amazing performances have invariably led to comparisons with the best central and defensive mid-fielders such as his compatriots Kante and Paul Pogba. So far, he seems to have handled the pressure and stardom very well without letting it get to his head.

By the looks of it, he is a very special player indeed, and with clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool showing interest in him, it will fascinating to see how long Rennais can hold on to their prodigy.

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