It’s hard to believe that Renato Sanches is still only 23-years old, having played in four countries (including in the Premier League) for four different teams already in his short career.
But now, the Portuguese has been linked with a move to Liverpool and he is a different player to the last time he played in England.
Renato Sanches Could Tackle Premier League for a Second Time
Youngster When at Swansea
Sanches came to the Premier League surrounded by hype back in the 2017/18 season as a fresh-faced 19-year-old. For Swansea City, he featured just 12 times in the Premier League before being signed by European powerhouse, Bayern Munich.
He currently plays for Lille in France and has been linked with a return to England and Premier League title holders Liverpool – a move that is bound to shock and surprise a few, considering the fact he was largely deemed a flop during his brief stint in England for the Swans.
However, the midfielder has grown massively as a player since his last crack at the Premier League and could be better equipped to tackle it a second time around if the Reds do bring him back to the country.
Renato Sanches Improved as a Player Since Last in the Premier League
Look at the way he has grown as a player, for example. If you aren’t a fan of French football or haven’t been keeping a close eye on his performances, then here is the scoop.
He’s spent the last two seasons at Lille and has started in more league games for them than at any other time in his career, with 23 starts. It’s also led to the most goal contributions in his career so far – four goals and one assist so far for the French side in Ligue 1.
It’s not a massively spectacular goal return but consider his role in the team and how he performs. Sanches is a central midfielder and tends to contribute more defensively rather than getting into attacking positions.
Sanches Putting in Solid Performances for Lille
His passing remains solid – 82.5 per cent completion rate during his Lille career is pretty good for a player who regularly sees the ball at his feet due to his contributions in the centre of the field.
As for the player’s defensive work, that is also the best of his career to date. He has the best tackle win percentage and best dribbles stopped and blocks made in his career. It’s because the youngster has more experience under his belt – he’s more aware of how higher-level opposition players perform and what they do against him and he’s able to read the play and stop attacks superbly.
As a player, Sanches has also massively improved his ability to push his team forward. His ball progression is tremendous, showcased by the fact he has 132 progressions of the ball forward and also a 65.8 per cent dribble success rate.
Sanches is a player who can now break up opposition attacks with his tackling and vision and then push his team forward and help set up attacks of their own.
Could be Boosted by Jurgen Klopp’s Management
The player that was once seen in England for Swansea is gone – this is a completely different man. He was still in his teens when he made the bold move to switch to the Premier League and although it didn’t pay off at the time, he is much better equipped for the standard of football now.
Now, at 23-years-old, he has top-level experience in several different countries and you can see how he has learned from his previous stints and improved as a player.
Although not a ‘world-beater’ of a player yet, he could be a solid addition to any team that takes him on and Liverpool could be perfect for him to progress his game even further.
Jurgen Klopp is a man with a knack for finding young gems and getting the best out of them. Put Sanches with Klopp and he could come on leaps and bounds as a player.
The midfielder, given a regular chance in the Reds midfield, could prove all of the doubters wrong upon his second time in the Premier League. He’ll have a point to prove if he does make the return to the Premier League.
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