Belgium has been working particularly well with youth for many years. Partly because of this, the generation changes are going better than, say, 20 years ago. There is more choice because the pond got bigger and bigger. Thierry Siquet is a trainer of the U19 of the Red Devils. There’s a lot of talent out there.
The U19 have some very interesting players. Siquet believes that a number of boys can certainly dream of a career with the Red Devils. Some will soon become part of the reserves, or are already mentioned in the first team. Of course he did not name names, it would only create more pressure. The last hour did come with some players.
OPTIONS ENOUGH
Arthur Vermeeren is one of them. The 18-year-old midfielder has had a tough season at Royal Antwerp FC and has already been linked to the national team. That was still a bridge too far, because Vermeeren has to compete with guys who are one step further than him and have more experience. Yet he has the talent to become a Red Devil. That is also the case for Julien Duranville. He already impressed at Anderlecht and now plays for Dortmund. If he can make minutes there, Belgium seems to be the next step.
Noah Mbamba also appeals to the Belgian youth teams. At Club Brugge they saw it less in him this season, but Bayer Leverkusen brought him in. It won’t be easy to break through, though. But just like Vermeeren, he does have the problem that there is a lot of competition for his position. Then there is also Cihan Canak who impresses at Standard. He has yet to become a permanent fixture, but such creative players are always in the spotlight. If he can become even stronger physically, the player – who can also choose Turkey – could be an option.
Finally, there is Mario Stroeykens, the captain of the U19. He plays as an attacking midfielder, a position where he has the best future. Stroeykens is already physically far and who knows he can replace Yari Verschaeren at Anderlecht in the coming weeks. Besides these guys, there are also talented players like Lucas Stassin, Samuel Mbangula, Mika Godts, Joseph Bounde and many others who have a lot of potential. The future will tell who gets the furthest.
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