In this series, we take a look at some of the most interesting young talents in the world of football. Next up is Palmeiras’ 18-year-old wonderkid Gabriel Veron.
Veron broke into the Palmeiras first team in 2019 as a 17-year-old and promptly announced himself by scoring twice on his second senior game. He continued to find the net in 2020, scoring four in the league, two in the Copa do Brasil and another three goals in seven games in the Libertadores.
To put Veron’s start to his career in context, the young forward reached the milestone of 10 senior goals in just 29 appearances – four games less than Gabigol, 14 faster than former Palmeiras graduate Gabriel Jesus and 15 quicker than Neymar.
Watch any clip or read any article about Gabriel Veron and his electrifying pace is one of the first attributes mentioned. Nicknamed ‘Bolt’ by his teammates at youth level and said to be able to reach speeds of 38km/h by his club, his ability to stretch defenders makes him a constant threat.
This jet-heeled acceleration has seen him typically used in wider positions on either flank, where he can give his side extra width and isolate defenders in 1v1 scenarios.
Blessed with excellent close control, quick feet and an array of skills, he has averaged 5.3 dribbles and 10.73 offensive duels per 90 in the Brasileirão this season. As highlighted by his former youth coach Artur Itiro, it’s his ability to keep control at such a high speed that makes him stand out from his peers as the combination of the two is a rare gift.
However, there is much more to his game than just his speed with and without the ball. More of an inside forward than an out-and-out winger, Gabriel Veron uses his intelligent movement to get in between full-backs and central defenders and arrive in dangerous goal-scoring positions inside the box.
His goals for club and country have shown this striker’s instinct, averaging an xG of 0.35, and the map of where he typically shoots from shows that his best work is done inside the box, where he also averages 4.35 touches in the penalty box per 90.
From deeper positions, Veron can be a bit more erratic with his crossing, so improving this would make him a more well-rounded wide forward option. What’s more, while his pace works well on the counter, when breaking down deep defensive lines and against better sides he can be guilty of going missing on occasion so improving his consistency will be another area to improve.
Already linked with a whole host of Europe’s elite – including both Manchester clubs – it would be no surprise to see him make the move sooner rather than later. He won’t come cheap though, with a buyout clause of around €60M and Palmeiras holding out for at least €30M.
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