Why Yunus Musah has attracted a lot of attention in Europe this summer
It was a red card, clear as the waters of the Balearic Sea. Just three minutes after coming off the bench, Musah was headed to the locker room — possibly for the final time as a Valencia player. Over the span of his four years in Spain, he had logged 94 first-team appearances, became the club’s youngest non-Spanish goalscorer and become a staple of the United States men’s national team.
For the second time in three seasons, Valencia finished in the bottom third of the La Liga table. Unlike 2020-21’s 13th-place finish, they could make no such claim of being a midtable outfit as they plodded to 16th. Gennaro Gattuso was shown the door in late January, with Ruben Baraja taking over the technical area on Valentine’s Day to lovingly oversee the end of the year.Despite having a modern great midfielder at the helm to start the year, Musah saw regression from 2021-22.
“Sometimes, you’re in moments where the team is struggling but you just gotta find a way to kind of break through that,” Acosta told. “Hopefully, your talents and work rate, your energy, can be contagious. I know at Valencia it was a tough year for him, but he’s a guy that just puts his head down and he works, never complains. No matter the circumstances, whether he’s playing or not playing, you get the same Yunus.
Instead, Musah swiftly gives him a more progressive alternative and defensive anchor Mouctar Diakhaby has spotted it, begging his teammate to try the outlet. It’s a great square ball, one that leaves Fali on the ground and unable to deflect it. Lino’s shot is blocked by the two remaining defenders’ legs — this was La Liga’s 16th-best team, after all. Nevertheless, the sequence showcases Musah’s spatial awareness, off-ball movement, physicality to withstand defensive pressure and ability on the ball.Since taking on a more regular role in the 2021-22 season, Musah has been among the best midfielders in La Liga at pushing play forward: 26.
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