Arsenal youngster Daniel Ballard’s performance for Northern Ireland against Austria last night received a nine-out-of-ten, man of the match rating from the Belfast Telegraph.
Northern Ireland took the lead in the 74th minute thanks to Josh Magennis but two goals in the last ten minutes pushed the Austrians to the top of UEFA Nations League Group E.
Despite the defeat, Ballard’s performance earned him rave reviews in the media.
The ‘new Jonny Evans’
The Belfast Telegraph described his performance as “classy”, while comparing him to the Leicester City man.
They wrote: “Some big tackles and impressive defending. Classy performance and a player showing plenty of promise. The new Jonny Evans?”
Ballard made five clearances, three interceptions, two tackles and blocked two shots in the game at the Ernst Happel Stadion. He won all his ground duels too (SofaScore).
The 21-year-old is currently on loan at Blackpool. He has played three times for the Seasiders so far in League One and has put in some impressive performances.
Arsenal’s defence has been an issue for some time. Mikel Arteta has solidified the Gunners’ back line but the defeat to Aston Villa reopened old wounds.
Shkodran Mustafi, David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos will be out of contract at the end of this season.
If Ballard keeps impressing, he’s likely to catch Arteta’s eye. Perhaps a first-team opportunity might come his way as early as next season?
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