Rafa plays to his strengths once more by taking chance on unknown defensive ace
LEJEUNE COULD BE HIS NEXT BIG STAR
FLORIAN Lejeune is not a name the majority of Newcastle United fans would have been familiar with until a few short weeks ago. As the Magpies edge towards making the Frenchman their second summer signing, United supporters will be hoping the centre-back can instantly adapt to the Premier League at the second time of asking. In 2015, the 26-year-old joined Manchester City from Segunda Division side Girona – and was then immediately sent back on loan there. A permanent move to Eibar followed last summer and, after an impressive campaign in the Spanish top flight, Lejeune has caught Rafa Benitez’s attention. United will activate the £8.7m release clause in Lejeune’s deal and hopefully bring the former France Under-20 international to Tyneside. As with any player who has yet to experience the pace and physicality of the Premier League, there will understandably be concerns Lejeune will need time to adjust to the English top flight. The unique challenges the Premier League offers are arguably more acute in central defence than in any other position.
Ironically at Man City, where Lejeune was signed but never given an opportunity to impress, the risk of acquiring defenders and expecting them to settle in immediately has been profoundly highlighted.
Since 2009, the Citizens have lavished more than £185m on new partners for Vincent Kompany, the vast majority of who have been brought in from abroad. The list includes, but is not limited to, Matija Nastasic (£13m), Stefan Savic (£6m), Eliaquim Mangala (£32m) and Nicolas Otamendi (£28.5m).
Yet few managers in world football are as astute as Benitez at identifying a talented centre-back, nurturing them and eventually producing top-class defenders out of them. He has done it throughout
his career and proved he can even do it in the Premier League too.
There have been a few failures along the way but there have been a series of overwhelming successes too.
When Daniel Agger joined Liverpool in January 2006 from Brondby in a £6m deal he was rated highly around Europe - but there were fears the Danish international would not have the physicality to succeed in England.
During four and a half years under Benitez’s management, the ballplaying centre-back developed into one of the Premier League’s most consistent performers.
The same could be said of Martin Skrtel, too – but it was not fears about dealing with the physical nature of the Premier League which made some clubs stutter before signing the Slovakian.
Rather there were worries the centre-back, signed by the Reds from Zenit Saint Petersburg in January 2008 for £8.5m, did not have experience in any of Europe’s ‘big five leagues.’
Again, Benitez helped Skrtel hone his craft and develop into an excellent Premier League defender.
Then you have Kalidou Koulibaly, who was plucked from Belgium by Benitez and has since gone on to become one of the most-coveted centre-backs in Europe.
In 2014 Napoli paid Genk £6.5m for the Senegal international who, although powerful and quick, lacked game-management skills and often made mistakes.
By the time Benitez had left Naples a year later, Koulibaly was already regarded as one of the best all-round defenders in Italy.
He is expected to leave Napoli this summer – possibly for England, with Chelsea and Liverpool reportedly interested – for upwards of £35m.
The Senegalese’s improvement has been marked – and it first started under Benitez.
Yet it is not just unknown entities who he has progressed.
Jamie Carragher switched from fullback to centre-half during Benitez’s first season at Anfield. After having his technique and decision-making refined by the Spaniard, the former England international went on to become a Liverpool legend.
Describing him as a “coach, not a manager,” Carragher also labelled Benitez the “best defensive” manager he ever worked with. Like any manager, Benitez has signed centre-backs who have underwhelmed. Grant Hanley did not make the impact the Spaniard expected on Tyneside while Mauricio Pellegrino failed to reproduce his Valencia form at Anfield. Yet Toon fans should feel confident 6ft 3in defender Lejeune can adapt quickly to the Premier League. Benitez has pinpointed Lejeune a s the centre-back he wants to build his defence around next season, just as the United boss did when he surprised people by opting to make Ciaran Clark his back-four lynchpin in the Championship. There will be improvements to be made in Lejeune’s game but Benitez will already have plans in place for exactly how he is going to maximise the defender’s potential. Few managers can identify and then develop centre-backs as astutely as Benitez. Newcastle fans should feel reassured Lejeune is the real deal.
Few managers in world football are as astute as Benitez at identifying and nurturing a talented centre-back