Ritsu Doan scout report – The next big Asian talent in the Premier League?
According to The Sun, Manchester City are ready to complete a £5million raid on Eredivisie club FC Groningen for Japanese playmaker Ritsu Doan in January.
The 20-year-old has earned rave reviews for his top-notch performances in the Eredivisie since the start of last season. The talented young playmaker has scored 10 goals and set up another four from 38 appearances in the Dutch top-flight.
As the stocks for the Japanese playmaker continue to soar sky high, let us get a deeper insight into one of the most promising prospects of Asian football – FC Groningen’s Ritsu Doan.
Background
Ritsu Doan was born in Amagasaki, Japan and came through the youth ranks of J1 League club Gamba Osaka. He made his senior debut in the 2015 AFC Champions League but hardly got a chance to play at the senior level thereafter. Instead, he played for Gamba Osaka U23 in 2016 before moving on loan to Dutch club FC Groningen in 2017.
Doan caught the eye with a number of scintillating displays during the 2017/18 Eredivisie season where he scored 9 goals and provided 3 assists. As a result of his fine displays, the Dutch outfit made his stay permanent this summer.
And the diminutive Japanese playmaker has hit the ground running this term as well, scoring once and setting up another from 9 appearances in the league.
Style of play
The 20-year-old is a multifaceted attacking midfielder who can be deployed in any position in the final third. Primarily a right-winger by trade, Doan is also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder through the centre.
Standing at 5ft 8 inches with a stocky frame, Doan is not capable of challenging the opposition with his physicality. However, his upper body strength allows him to embark on powerful driving runs down the right flank.
Blessed with a wonderful technique, the Japanese playmaker combines his technical abilities with his low centre of gravity to keep exceptional close control in tight areas. He is also a silky dribbler and tends to create that extra yard of space for himself by foxing the opposition with sharp turns. Furthermore, he is lightning quick and uses his pace down the flanks to good effect.
Although he is not a particularly good crosser of the ball and does not tend to play too many passes in the final third, he is quite good at link-up play.
Doan’s tactical awareness in the final third is always an asset to his team. The 20-year-old is subtle with his movement and poses a genuine threat with his goalscoring instincts.
To add to that, he is good with his work rate and uses his speed and awareness to track back and break up the play. In fact, he has averaged 2.2 tackles in the Eredivisie this term.
Last but not the least, Ritsu Doan has a magical left foot which is not only capable of bamboozling the defenders with mesmerizing skills but can also find the top corner of the net with curling shots from range. To be honest, he has the potential of becoming a Japanese version of Lionel Messi.
Read More:- Who is this 6ft 4 in Scottish sensation being chased by Arsenal and Leicester City? All you need to know
What does the future hold?
Going by his performances and quality, Ritsu Doan might be the next big Asian name in the Premier League after the likes of Heung-min Son, Shinji Kagawa and Park Ji-Sung.
Given that he has already caught the eye of elite clubs like Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City (h/t The Sun), a move to the Premier League will do a world of good to his development as a footballer.
