Who is Eduardo Camavinga and why should United sign him?

By Josh Coleman, published on 05/07/21

Amid Manchester United interest in young talent Eduardo Camavinga, and a supposed meeting taking place between us and his representatives at some point in the near future, I am going to be taking a look at the 18 year old, discussing the type of player he is and how he would fit into our system for years to come should we sign him.

First of all, Eduardo Camavinga is an 18 year old that, while born in Angola, plays for the French national side. Camavinga has come through the Rennes academy through his career before breaking into their first team in January 2019, now establishing himself as a first team regular. Also going onto make his debut for the French men's national side in September 2020, at just 17 years old. This has made him a player that most big sides across Europe have an eye on, at just 18 being a first team regular in one of Europe’s top leagues is no easy feat and is evidence of just how good a talent he is.

While not an out and out holding midfielder, he is also not an advanced number 10. You would probably describe him as a more traditional central midfielder, similar to the likes of Adrien Rabiot and Andre Gomes. While only scoring one and assisting two last season for Rennes, Camavinga’s contribution to attacking play cannot be understated. With an 89.5% pass completion rate, an average of 6.43 progressive carries per 90 (In the 88th percentile), and 1.98 dribbles completed per game (at a percentile of 95) Camavinga should be described as an excellent progressive player, who you can rely on to keep the ball and get it forward in a possession based style of play.

While his progressive passing is at a more average percentile of 42, Camavinga has a great deal of time to work on this and train on this, and with his very good pass completion rate, his ability to keep possession may be more important, so long as there is creative players around him to progress the ball.

Defensively, Camavinga is also a very good talent. Making just under four tackles per game, putting him in the top 3% of players in Ligue 1, he is also an exceptional presser, which is a very useful trait to have as a midfielder, to not allow the opposition to hold the ball comfortably.

Looking at Eduardo Camavinga and his style of play, you can begin to see how he would fit into our system already, and not just one for the future, despite only being 18. What we have seen from Ole so far, is that within his favoured 4231 formation, his two central midfielders he prefers to have two players who will both contribute to attack and defence, not just one out and out holding midfielder with a more attacking player. Hence the use of McTominay and Fred in the pivot, rather than Pogba who you could argue doesn’t contribute as much to defence.

Camavinga would therefore fit into Ole’s system very well, and would compliment either Fred or McTominay in the pivot. Should Ole prefer to sign a much more defensive minded midfielder however, such as Declan Rice, Camavinga would also be able to be utilised and would be capable in that role. This would present him with much more freedom to express himself as much more of a direct threat when carrying the ball. However, if we were to sign a holding midfielder, Pogba would command that role, as he has shown how good he can be when given the freedom to express himself alongside someone who will cover his attacking plays.

If we were to sign Camavinga, it would be an absolutely incredible grab for us. He already has the talent to play at a first team level, and with even more coaching and experience we would see him grow into an outstanding footballer, someone who could dominate football for years to come.

In addition, the reported price tag for Camavinga is around €30m, for a player of this standard and potential this is an absolute steal, and United should be going all in for this signing. While it may be a tough race to sign him alongside Real Madrid and PSG, getting him could build a foundation for a side you can build around for years and years, so for me we should be trying to secure the signature of the 18 year old.