Need to know numbers on Arsenal and Manchester United target Malcom
Manchester United and Arsenal are thought to be among the clubs battling it out for the services of Bordeaux hotshot Malcom, with the youngster dropping a clue that a move to the Premier League could be on the cards.
The 20-year-old posted on his official instagram account a picture of flash cards that he is using to learn English, sparking excitement among fanbases of a number of England’s elite.
But what do we know about the winger, asides from the fact that his hints are the most subtle?
Well, the Brazilian arrived in France from Corinthians in January of 2016 and has since developed into a key player for les Girondins.
In his first half season, understandably spent as a settling in period having signed at just 18 years of age, Malcom started just five of 12 league appearances, scoring once and registering an assist.
However, it didn’t take the youngster long to earn a starring role the following season, with 33 starts in Ligue 1 heralding seven goals and four assists for a respectable WhoScored.com rating of 6.90.
It is only this season though that the wide man has really begun to shine, matching said figures for goals and assists ahead of the winter break in France.
He’s not a player that is likely to chip in defensively but when given the freedom to attack he can be a joy to watch, with superb figures across the board in that sense, averaging 2.3 shots, 2.4 key passes and 2.8 dribbles per game.
The latter statistic equates to 50 in total this season, which is something only three players can better, with the same trio (Neymar, Nabil Fekir and Florian Thauvin) able to boast more WhoScored.com man of the match awards than the young South American (five).
There’s no doubt that Malcom’s form dipped after a sensational start to the campaign but an overall WhoScored.com rating of 7.51 is still enough to rank third of all players aged under 21 in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season so the widespread interest in the youngster is certainly justified.
