Wednesday 27 February 2013

M'BAYE NIANG

Who is he? Where does he play?

He is one of AC Milan's new guard, an 18 year old French striker who is beginning to make his mark on Serie A with a few powerful performances which suggests he will be a star for a considerable while yet.

Milan's future is beginning to look very bright then eh?!

With Mario Balotelli and Stephen El Shaarawy firing in attack, then it can be argued that it is looking very rosy indeed for the Rosaneri (good eh?) and although Niang still has too settle for a reserve role among the talented attacking trio, his substitute appearances this season, of which he's made 4, alongside 6 starts, has shown he will grow to be an impressive talent over in Italy.

Furthermore, he has a delightful mohican hair-do, fitting in nicely with the eccentric hairstyles of his two young Italian strike-partners.

So then, what does he give a team?

A great deal of pace which means Masimiliano Allegri sees fit to introduce Niang on to the right-wing when opposition defences are tiring, despite his natural position being a centre forward. He likes to cross the ball, as well as dribbling inside to release shots at goal. He has yet to score for Milan but it's things like this, which demonstrates his pure power, that shows his worth to Allegri in the long-term.

As well as playing as a striker leading the line, or on the wing like Allegri thinks, his technical quality allows him to also be a threat when dropping off into the hole to feed passes through to the front line. It is this versatility which raises the prospect of Milan fielding Balotelli, El Shaarawy and Niang as a front 3 eventually in the future. Allegri must be purring at the thought.

Where did he come from?

He was a product of Caen's youth academy who took him on when he scored an impressive hat-trick during a trial. This was written when the striker was 16 giving an insight into the robustness of the striker who also keeps defenders on their toes with intelligent movement off the shoulder. It also brings an interesting comparison to Thierry Henry, relating to his fondness in starting runs on the flank, utilising his pace and power to full effect as he cuts inside. 

That article mentions Senegal? What's the score on that?

He's recently made a few appearances for the French-under 21s which suggests that is where his loyalties will lie in the long run, but with the shadiness of FIFA's rule on international legislation, who knows? 

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