At the heart of Germany’s emphatic win over England under 19s on Thursday was Liverpool striker Samed Yesil who agreed a four-year-deal from Bayer Leverkusen last week.
The 18-year-old has very limited experience at the BayArena with just one Bundesliga appearance for the Werkself. He dazzled for the Germany 19s, scoring two goals and assisting another in their 3-1 win over the Three Lions.
His goal record is pretty exceptional at the club, netting 21 goals in 30 matches at “A.Junior” level and another 36 in 41 games in the “B” division.
Goals aren’t just his game, though, and Yesil is a very polished all-round player. For a small player, his strength when in possession is excellent and has a blistering turn of pace and acceleration. Yesil is a fine creator of goals and when on the ball, has a cute eye for a killer pass.
Yesil played the first-half in Germany under-19s 1-0 win over Scotland and will certainly be involved in their forthcoming matches with England and Wales.
Generally, in a 4-3-3 formation, if Yesil is the main centre-forward, he will be inclined to drop into deeper attacking areas to recieve possession and allow the two wide-attacking forwards to drift inside. In a Brendan Rodgers environment, his dynamism will be invaluable in a high-intensity ethos.
But at 18, it will not be easy for Yesil to be a first-team regular. The fact that Leverkusen could have a buy-out clause on the players is a good option for the Germans.
Given the lack of strong options, Yesil will be hoping to get as much game-time as possible this season to aid his development.
