#4 The tale of two brilliant youngsters
Trending
Wilfred Ndidi is 20. Saul Niguez is 22. In the next few years, both of them could have the footballing world at their feet. Saul is such a good all-round attacking player, but it is his dirty work that sets him apart from a lot of other players in his position.
He announced himself on the big stage with THAT goal against Bayern Munich in the semifinal of last year’s Champions League, and he has gone on to improve further this season. The header last night was textbook and showed how good his technical ability is. But a few minutes later, he could have bettered that too.
He received a pull back from Filipe Luis on the left side edge of the area and unleashed a left-footed curler, that Schmeichel managed to deal with. But to get such sweet contact and meet the ball so perfectly with your wrong foot requires some special ability and Saul has that ability.
Ndidi though, ensured that he would not be left too far behind. He is two years younger than Saul, and like the Spaniard, precociously talented. When Ndidi arrived at Leicester in January, it was clear that the Foxes had not yet replaced N’Golo Kante and the Nigerian was going to be the one to do that. No pressure, Wilfred!
But he has stepped up magnificently, especially after Shakespeare took over from Ranieri. He has everything a defensive midfielder needs to have. His passing is assured and crisp, his defensive positioning is terrific and he has got the confidence to take on shots from distance, although some of them last night were a little too ambitious.
For Ndidi and Saul, their only real enemies are themselves. If they keep improving like they are touted to, they will be among the best players in the world very soon.
