It was the sort of chance Youssef En-Nesyri would have buried with his eyes closed a few weeks ago.
A raking through-ball put the Sevilla striker through on goal as Julen Lopetegui’s side sought a route back into the game during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to relegation-threatened Eibar.
But, after bringing the pass under control, En-Nesyri scuffed his big chance wide of the post.
Everything the striker touched turned to gold during the festive period, the Midas Moroccan scoring hat-tricks against Sevilla and Cadiz in January alone, while throwing himself into the thick of an intriguing Golden Boot race.
Flash forward to mid-March and En-Nesyri is now choking on Lionel Messi’s dust. The former Leganes ace has failed to score in seven successive matches. In his last 11 games, En-Nesyri has found the target just once.
With Premier League scouts watching his every move, the Sevilla striker could hardly have picked a worse time to misplace his goal-scoring boots.
West Ham United made a £27 million bid for En-Nesyri in January and were expected to return in the summer (The Athletic).
According to 90Min, bona fide super-clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Dortmund also have their sights firmly fixed on the rangy 23-year-old.
The Guardian, meanwhile, claims that Sevilla will not consider selling En-Nesyri for a penny less than £35 million.
But was En-Nesyri’s stunning run of form between November and February the breath-taking emergence of Europe’s next great centre-forward? Or merely a brief purple patch from a striker who has always scored his goals in bunches; a prolific run followed by weeks and weeks of anonymity?
If En-Nesyri wants to join a Liverpool, a Manchester United or an Inter Milan, those lengthy goal-droughts cannot continue.
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