Not for the first time, Brian Brobbey is linked with a move to Man United. United are yet to make an official offer for the Dutch striker but fans are already curious about another business proposition with Ajax and what this 21-year-old player could bring.
Say no more!
1. Finishing
Brobbey is ice-cold in front of goal - a trait that is much-needed at Man United. In an underwhelming Ajax side this season, he has still managed to score 15 goals in 26 appearances across all competitions. He also hit double figures last season.
Beyond goals, two stats stand out when it comes to Brobbey:
- 8.84 progressive passes received per game on average;
- 9.14 touches in the opponent's penalty area on average.
It means that Brobbey practically lives in the opposition’s penalty area, he’s a fox in the box. In comparison, Rasmus Hojlund averages 4.93 touches in the opponent's penalty area while Marcus Rashford does 6.07.
2. Pace & strength
Standing at 5”9”, Brobbey doesn't rely on his height to hurt defences. Instead, he uses his pace and raw power along with clever movement and clinical finishing to be so deadly in attack.
A good example is his recent goal against RKC Waalwijk. Brobbey received the ball on the edge of the box, then used his pace and strength to beat his marker before finishing superbly with his weaker left foot.
3. Link-up play
Brobbey is also effective in linking up play in midfield areas to help progress possession. He occasionally drops into deeper regions to offer assistance to his teammates and then accelerates the play with his pace.
His preferred method, however, is to do it all by himself. A decent dribbler, Brobbey attempts one dribble per game on average (h/t Fbref) and mostly uses it to penetrate the opponent’s penalty area. The image below (h/t Wyscout) shows his all-time carries and dribbles. You can see that he usually takes the ball near the penalty area to carry it inside and, ideally, round it off with a strike.
4. Chance creation
Brobbey is not selfish, he works hard for his team. He also possesses good vision in the final third to create chances for his teammates. He has four assists thus far and created about 30 goalscoring chances in the league.
But Brian Brobbey is no Hollywood playmaker like Bruno Fernandes — he won’t bother with risky passes to satisfy the crowd. Rather, he’ll do the elbow grease he does best: outmuscle his opponents and square the ball. If his recent assist against NEC looks familiar to his goal shown above, that tells you how strong the lad is with his body.
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