One assist, one misplaced pass: The 16-year-old who downed PSG
For any Ligue 1 side coming up against the division’s dominant force Paris Saint-Germain, protecting the defence is a priority and any player tasked with doing so needs to have a near faultless display to inspire an upset.
Step forward 16-year-old Eduardo Camavinga…
Four players to have featured in Ligue 1 this season had made their professional before the midfielder was even born, while teammates Romain Salin and Jeremy Morel - both of whom started at the weekend - are 19 years his senior.
It was the second time in the space of a month that the teenager had started against PSG, doing so in the Trophee des Champions defeat a fortnight ago, but this time it was a different story.
In the French super cup loss Camavinga played on the left of Julien Stephan’s midfield three but in the league on Sunday the youngster took his place at the heart of said trio, trading places with Clement Grenier owing to his superior defensive qualities.
With greater responsibility the 16-year-old thrived and showed a willingness to not only get on the ball but carry it forwards that proved he is to be taken extremely seriously. PSG learned as much as the game wore on, showing the youngster the compliment of fouling him six times.
The champions recognised that Camavinga was controlling the game as far as Rennes were concerned and PSG did all they could to try and limit his influence, by hook or by crook.
Over the 90 minutes the teen attempted 41 passes and for the second game running misplaced only one. A 97.6 per cent pass accuracy after two appearances is, of course, unsustainable but the midfielder’s composure under possession has been remarkable.
He registered the assist for Romain Del Castillo’s match winner as Rennes came from behind to claim all three points with a pinpoint floated cross to the back post, while breaking up Paris Saint-Germain’s rhythm with three tackles.
His performance a week previous was arguably even stronger but of course didn’t attract the attention that a game against the league’s strongest side would and did. In a 1-0 win at Montpellier, Camavinga completed 41 of 42 passes and made a match-high of six tackles.
His ball winning ability was evident last season, averaging a massive 5.7 tackles per 90 minutes across seven Ligue 1 appearances, but his ability to retain possession under pressure is already improving dramatically.
It’s early days, not just this season but in Camavinga’s career, but the signs suggest that the teenager has what it takes to establish himself as one of the top young talents on the continent.
