One-time Arsenal starlet Yunus Musah is breaking records at Valencia and another former Gunners man, Gabriel Paulista, is convinced the USA international is set for a huge future (Economic Times).
While the Gunners are in the midst of their worst start to a season in four decades, a host of former players are shining across the continent.
Serge Gnabry blossomed into an elite-level attacking talent during Bayern Munich’s treble-winning 2019/20 campaign, while Ismael Bennacer is now the ankle-biting enforcer at the heart at an AC Milan dreaming of Scudetto glory after a decade of disappointment.
Musah might not be at Gnabry or Bennacer’s level yet but, having only turned 18 at the end of November, the teenage midfielder is already one of the first names on the team sheet at a bonafide Spanish superclub – albeit one underperforming on and off the pitch.
Musah has started ten of Valencia’s 12 La Liga matches this term, while becoming the youngest ‘Englishman’ to score in the division.
“Yunus is very shy. When I have to push him, I push him. And when I have to make jokes, I do that,” says Gabriel, the centre-half who swapped Arsenal for Valencia in 2017.
“When I push Yunus, it’s because he has a lot of quality – and he can take it. On the pitch, he isn’t as shy as (£20m Manchester City forward) Ferran (Torres) was, for example.
“Sometimes I tell him he doesn’t look like he’s 18 but a lot more experienced. He has a lot of room for growth and he’ll grow day by day. He’s helping us a lot and I want him to keep doing so. He has the potential to go really far.”
Musah, who has been compared to Paul Pogba by his former England U17 coach Steve Cooper (ESPN), rejected a contract at Arsenal in summer 2019 before swapping north London for the Castellon coast (Football London).
“He is a very strong player physically. Technically, he is very good on the ball,” Gabriel adds of a man who already has two caps for the USA, despite representing England at youth level.
“He knows how to defend, he knows how to attack. Look at the goal he scored against Getafe, taking the ball from defence up to the opposition box. He has potential, strength.
“He knows he has a lot of quality. He has to loosen up more, put less pressure on himself and enjoy things. Sometimes you have to play as if it were a final, enjoy yourself and try to improve. He tries to do this every day. He loosens up more and surely he will be a great footballer.”
According to CBS, Musah has a £90 million release clause in his contract having recently signed a new six-year deal.
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