Should Liverpool pounce on Schalke's Max Meyer?

Max Meyer (L)

Rapidly overtaking Spain as the production line of the worlds best footballing talent, Germany has seen the emergence of another young talent this season: Max Meyer of Schalke. The 18-year-old has scored in three successive matches – despite only starting one of the three. Big things are expected of the midfielder, who has now started back to back Champions League ties for the German side.

In spite of the fact that he has only made two Bundesliga starts this season, Meyer has completed a staggering 20 take-ons, scored three goals and set up four chances in a series of eye catching cameo appearances. The stand-out player of the 2012 U17 European Championship, on current form it would seem to be only a matter of time before the Premier League big boys start circling. So should a club like Liverpool look to beat the rest for this talent?

Adept in both wide positions, Meyer is currently playing in a central position behind the striker in Schalke’s 4-2-3-1 formation.

Max Meyer – Action Heat Map

As shown by the Heat Map from his last start – a 3-2 victory over Braunschweig – Meyer has license to roam and pop up in wide areas. He has performed well in this position achieving a pass accuracy of 86% over the season, which has been aided by accuracies over 90% in each of his last three appearances. Such tidiness in possession appears to belie his tender years, with few 18-year-old attack minded players posting such impressive numbers. Of his passes, just under half (46.6%) have been backwards, showing a maturity and willingness to keep possession. His pass map from his last start, shown below shows his strength in possession, with only three misplaced passes.

Max Meyer – Passes vs Braunschweig

Meyer has created four chances this season, one of which was tucked away, in addition to his trio of goals. This means that he either scores or creates a chance every 34 minutes. However, whilst he is good on the ball, his main strength lies in his dribbling. In only 240 league minutes, he makes a successful take-on every 12 minutes.

Max meyer – Man of the Match

Seven of these take on’s came in a substitute cameo against Dortmund last week. Despite only featuring for half an hour, Meyer scored the highest Performance Score of any player. Giving the Dortmund defence no peace, Meyer scored Schalke’s consolation goal when he waltzed through the Dortmund defence to set up Adam Szalai, before netting the rebound when his teammate missed.

Max Meyer – Take ons

Rising to prominence this season, Meyer is likely to be attracting the attention of Europe’s top sides. Having already lost Hotlby to Tottenham in 2013, Schalke will be wondering how long they can keep hold of their next young talent. While Premier League clubs such as Liverpool should certainly keep an eye-out for him, as he has proved he certainly has the confidence and fearless nature to look to better himself and his team.

??Football graphics and stats from Squawka???