Scout report: Nick Powell’s continued rise to stardom

The ideal platform

It has worked for Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck in the past, and therefore there is good reason to believe that United would indeed get an improved product in Nick Powell for their campaign next term. (Bebe’s case remains a bit of an aberration).

In the meanwhile, going back a rung to the Championship and playing for a team that is looking to get back into the Premiership at the earliest is a good place to be.

Couple that with the fact that Wigan have always played an attractive brand of football right from their time under Paul Jewell to Roberto Martinez and now Owen Coyle, and it seems like a win-win situation for everyone.

Powell has made six appearances so far this season for Wigan – three times in the Championship, once in the League Cup and twice in the Europa League.

Two of his three appearances in the Championship were starts and he already has one goal to his name. He bagged a double last night to open his scoring record in Europe and in the two games so far Powell has put in an assured performance, much like he did when he played for United against Galatasaray in the Champions League last year.

Nicholas Powell of England during a match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico in 2011

What’s aided Powell is the mini-injury crisis in the forward area of the pitch for Wigan – Grant Holt, Shaun Maloney and Marc-Antoine Fortune are all out injured. This has forced Coyle to play Powell in a much more advanced role as a forward and so far, thanks to the youngster’s goal-scoring prowess and exemplary movement, the move has reaped rich rewards.

All his goals for the season and the lone assist have come when he’s played in this position. His average pass completion rate for the season stands at 73%; that is likely to go up if he plays in the midfield more, but Coyle wouldn’t mind that right now.

He has also picked up two Man-of-the-Match awards already in six appearances – one against Ipswich in the Championship and the second last night against Maribor.

Playing style

Nick Powell is a central midfielder with a good shot on him. He shows good composure on the ball and his pace and finishing are two of his exemplary attributes. His has a good dribble, as shown during his second goal last night, and is known for his movement with the ball at his feet. He has also shown an innate knack of ghosting into the box to score goals, an ability that was the hallmark of a young Paul Scholes.

At Crewe, he primarily played as an attacking midfielder and was given a free role in attack. Owen Coyle has put him to similarly good use in some of the games this season for Wigan. He has the ability to beat defenders in one-on-one situations and has a good eye for goal.

His calm demeanour also means he has a level head on his shoulders and some of the coaches and managers who have overseen his development have touted him as leadership material. So apart from the midfield general that Manchester United will hope he develops into, they also have a potential captain-in-the-making in their ranks.

Superstar at Crewe

Of course, it is not that Nick Powell has suddenly morphed into this dazzling prospect overnight. We saw glimpses of it in a Manchester United uniform in the limited minutes that he played and even before that, it was evident to those around him at Crewe where he lapped up a string of honours. His ability and performances drew the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson, whose eye for scouting young talent has been known to be quite remarkable.

In April 2012, Powell became the first player to win every award at Crewe’s end of season ceremony for the 2011-12 campaign – Goal of the Season (for his 30-yard strike in a 4-3 win over Gillingham), Young Player of the Year, and Player of the Year. He finished that season as the club’s top scorer with 16 goals in all competitions.

Outside of club football, Powell has also gone on to represent the Three Lions at the under-16, under-17, under-18 and under-19 and under-21 levels. His development must come as some relief to England fans as well who are by now surely tired of the over-reliance on Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in midfield.

This is what Crewe’s director of football, Dario Gradi, had to say in 2012 before the sale of Powell, on what Ferguson had seen in the young midfielder:

“He said to me, ‘I wanted to see him. He is athletic he’s a good size, he’s good physically and he’s bright, he knows where people are around him. His clever with his play, he’s not just twinkle toes’. Nick’s got a brain and a desire and Alex spotted it on the strength of one outing.”

A brain, a desire and some pretty good skill to go along with all of that.