Nuno Mendes, the next unstoppable modern-day right-back from Portugal.
Manchester United has been targeting few immensely talented players. Certainly, many have heard about Sancho, Rice, Kane, but one player has been gaining more attention over his spectacular performances.
Sporting CP holds the dignity for creating world-class players for Manchester United. The Red Devils have certainly benefited from this club’s academy prospects. We have previously signed Christiano Ronaldo, Nani, and now Bruno Fernandes. The club has been producing leaders at all levels.
The latest name to fit into this bill is Nuno Mendes.
The Portuguese sensation has been one of the key targets for Manchester United. Being just 17, Mendes has shown immense potential to be one of the best defenders.
Let’s dive in more to know about the talented youngster- Nuno Mendes:
Scouting the Portuguese sensation:
You may have heard about Pele and how he was recruited by the Santos football club. Players have been recruited by the club scouts after a detailed glimpse about the player and his skills.
Nuno Mendes was scouted in a similar way by Sporting. While talking to a Portuguese outlet Record, Nuno Mendes said: “He saw me playing and called me to talk to him. Later, when I was alone at home, he knocked on my door. I found it strange and went to get a knife from the kitchen. I thought they were going to rob me. When I opened the door I saw that it was him and I was calm. He even showed me a Sporting card so I wouldn’t be suspicious. He told me they wanted me there and I went with all my heart.”
He, therefore, threw away the competition from Benefica and was quick to decide that he wanted to play for Sporting CP.
Young Blood:
If you have a £70m release clause at the age of 17, you can imagine what an amazing player you are. This statement goes well for Nuno Mendes. Already playing regularly for Sporting CP, he has done well to thrive at the core of the team. His defensive abilities have made him more wanted by the coach.
There is certainly no stopping him, and we expect him to be a regular player for Sporting for years to come. Manchester United will be waiting to get their hands on this player.
Mendes joined Sporting Clube de Portugal as a 10-year-old in 2012, making his senior appearance against Paços de Ferreira in June 2020. In 2020/21, he’s been the best optional left-back for the club, showing up in all matches, missing just three matches that he was accessible for.
This has been a phenomenal season to play for Sporting CP most definitely. In the first place, in January, they won the Taça da Liga with Mendes beginning once again against Braga.
At that point, the Lions went onto win the Primeira Liga title, losing just once the entire season, which finished their 19-year wait for the trophy, breaking the Benfica-Porto competition.
Breaking into the Portugal National Team:
Portugal coach Fernando Santos has made it no secret that he loves to play Nuno Mendes at his desired position.
He said: “He’s a high-quality player, the full-backs in my teams tend to be attacking players and Nuno has these attributes, as well as showing quality in his defending.”
Santos has even included the player in the Portugal Squad for Euro 2020. He will certainly occupy the left-back position for Portugal for many more years. Considering he is so young and his playing attributes will suit Portugal’s formation, it will be a win-win situation for both of them.
He will be competing with Raphael Guerreiro for the starting spot. He will certainly learn a lot from his senior teammates. He was just thirteen years old when Portugal were crowned champions of Europe and within four years he has now won his place in the team.
When asked about how he will mix up with the players from other clubs in the Portugal national team, Nuno Mendes said: “I spend more time with my Sporting teammates, as you’d expect, but I get on with the others too. They all encourage me, I’m a bit shy. We, the younger players, are more reserved, we don’t talk much, but the more experienced players help us a lot. But the mix of youth and experience is important for the squad, and makes the squad stronger.”
Nuno Mendes played in all three of Portugal’s World Cup Qualifiers in March, making his impact and playing the whole match in wins over Azerbaijan and Luxembourg.
His main attributes:
His main attributes are top-class defending at the left-back position and proper positioning while attacking. He is very quick upfront and is able to recover the ball well during counter-attacks. He is able to put in great crosses as well.
For Sporting CP he takes care of the entire left-flank, attacking deep and causing problems to the opposition defense. Also, defending deep when required and making quick recoveries with his sharp tackles.
He has received only 5 yellow cards in his 44 matches for club and country which shows that he is sharp in his tackles and doesn’t show unnecessary aggression while moving forward.
He certainly plays like a modern-day defender, creating chances for his teammates and also defending well. We can see that he shows similar qualities to Trent Alexander Arnold. Plus he can easily suit the Premier League defensive system because he is physically strong.
Bruno Botelho was his school teacher who invited Nuno Mendes at the age of 9 to play for his local club Despertar. Botelho once said that Nuno Mendes is similar to Ronaldinho and is a very skillful player. He said to Record: “We did a one-on-one exercise against the goalkeeper to see where he was strong. Nuno lifted the ball over the goalkeeper with a ‘cabrito’ (rainbow flick), and scored with a no-look finish like Ronaldinho used to do.”
This shows that he is top class in every attribute he possesses.
Will he be the Next Manchester United Player:
Manchester United has been linked with the player and it’s no surprise that they want to lure another Sporting CP player.
As reported by Metro, Nuno Mendes was asked about the transfer speculations, for which he said: “I’m focused on Sporting. I want to keep my feet on the ground. I’m not an elite player yet; I’m working to get there.”
Nuno Mendes shares the same agent as Man United star Bruno Fernandes and it’s no secret that this will help United in the future to acquire the services of the youngster. With Luke Shaw holding the left-back role at Manchester United, the club seems to be calm at this position.
But after all, United will need a more younger and pacy defender at that place and he can play for years to come at Man United. They will be watching his performances closely when he will play for Portugal in Euro 2020.
We need another Portuguese impact at Manchester United.
