Talent Scout: Genk's New Superstars

Trailing champions Anderlecht by three points more than halfway through the season, Genk have been a bit of a success story. Two players who Genk can thank for this lofty position are Jelle Vossen, a penalty box predator, and Kevin De Bruyne, a skillfull winger. These two players are only 21 and 19 years old respectively and are part of a magnificent generation of Belgian footballers, who include Maroune Fellaini, Alex Witsel and Steven Defour. So how good are they?

Jelle Vossen

Name: Jelle Vossen
D.O.B.: 22/03/1989
Age: 21
P.O.B.: Bilzen, Belgium
Position: Striker, Second Striker
Club: Racing Genk
National Team: Belgium
Previous Clubs: Cercle Brugge (Loan)

After Romelu Lukaku's 15 goal haul last year, Belgium has found another young potential top-scorer in Jelle Vossen. Vossen, however has already beaten the burly striker in terms of goals in the season; Vossen is currently on 16 goals for the season with only 23 games played, one more than Lukaku achieved for the whole season. The Bilzen native also differs from Lukaku in playing style. While Lukaku is a targetman, holding the ball up for others and is as strong as raging bull, Vossen is slender in physique and relies more on predatory instinct and speed rather than strength. Vossen is also more of a natural finisher than Lukaku, but at 17, Lukaku has the raw potential to become a world-class player.

A talented player, Vossen's career potential really began to show when he played for Cercle Brugge on loan from Genk. At Cercle, he scored 6 goals in 11 games, helping them to the Belgian Cup Final. This season Vossen started playing regularly for Genk and rewarded coach François Vercauteren's faith in him with 14 goals in 11 matches. His best performance of the season was when he scored two goals in Genk's Europa League clash with Porto. His first was a quick finish inside the area and his second a glancing header. Vossen's performance in that game, however, was eclipsed by a great Hulk hat-trick and a long range Fernando strike, ensuring Porto took all three points home. The young Belgian missed three league games through injury, making his scoring record all the more remarkable.

Strengths:

• Great off-the ball movement inside the area allows him to find space to score
• The ability to finish in the corner of the net regularly makes it difficult for the opposition goalkeeper to stop it going in
• Being fast, Vossen can outpace a defender in counter-attack situations
• Confident header off the ball

Weaknesses:

•  Has a limited passing range, which is a problem for when he plays in his second striker role as he cannot create chances for others
• Lack of physical strenght means he cannot tussle with defenders and hold the ball up

Verdict: 

If Jelle Vossen can stay clear of injuries and continue his scintilating form, he could become a very good poacher in the future.


Ability: 6/10
Potential: 8/10




Kevin De Bruyne:

Name: Kevin De Bruyne
D.O.B.: 28/06/1991
Age:19
P.O.B.: Drongen, Belgium
Position: Winger, Attacking Midfielder

Club: Racing Genk

National Team: Belgium
Previous Clubs: None

When a big club like Chelsea are after you, you know you're something special. And De Bruyne is a special player. A technically gifted footballer, De Bruyne is blessed with close control and great dribbling skills and has put them to good use with Genk this season. The young Belgian is following an increasing trend of putting wingers on the opposite flank, so De Bruyne is often found cutting in from the left flank onto his strong right foot. He also possesses a thundering shot, which has led him to score several screamers for Genk already at his young age. 


De Bruyne's breakthrough season was last year, where he played 25 games for Genk, ten of which were starts. He also featured in Europa League qualification for them. This year, however, De Bruyne has started in 13 league games and contributed six assists and four goals for Genk. Seen by many as the successor of Defour for Genk, De Bruyne has electrified the Belgian Jupiler League with his displays and has hence been linked to clubs such as Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Strengths:

• De Bruyne's great dribbling ability, coupled with his sublime first touch, leaves him able to beat defenders and get a shot or cross in
• A great long range shooting ability will provide him with plenty of goals
• A good cross gives him plenty of options when on the wing
• Can create chances with through balls

Weaknesses:

•  Lack of maturity means De Bruyne will often make wrong decisions and shoot when a pass is on
• Hasn't got a great positional sense which will leave Genk or any team he is playing to exploit the space vacated by him

Verdict:
 
The weaknesses above are due to a lack of experience, hopefully he will sort them out when he is older. De Bruyne has great potential, but he needs to work hard to achieve it.


Ability: 5.5/10
Potential: 8.5/10