French football is in safe hands, as the country is producing some of the best youngsters in the world. The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Camavinga, and a few others have already established themselves at the top level, while other players are also making a name for themselves. This has been a season where big clubs are providing opportunities to their academy graduates.
One such player who is having a breakthrough season and getting some time to play is Monaco’s attacking midfielder, Maghnes Akliouche. The 22-year-old is in his third season in the French top division. This season, he is being offered more game time, and the player is making full use of the opportunity. In 2024, Akliouche was picked up for the French U23 team.
As the player is looking to make a name for himself, here is a look at what the youngster has added to this Monaco squad.
Occupying the right wing
Maghnes Akliouche is an attacking midfielder who can also play on the flanks. Monaco have used him on the right side of the attack. The youngster has 1,203 minutes under his pocket in Ligue 1. His progressive runs chart shows that the player is more interested in driving the ball towards the centre. He is not the kind of player who stretches the defence with his runs. Akliouche has a 53% dribble success rate this season.
One area where an attacker needs to show his strength is in recovering the ball in dangerous zones. In the current season, Maghnes has also made some big recoveries and kept his team alive in most matches. The youngster averages 6.66 recoveries per 90 minutes and 66.3% of these recoveries take place in the attacking half. Most of these are counter-pressing recoveries and some have even turned into dangerous recoveries. The above viz shows that some dangerous recoveries even came inside the opposition penalty box.
End product
The 23-year-old is in his best season as a professional footballer. Maghnes Akliouche has netted six goals from 31 shot attempts and has a very impressive accuracy rate of 64.5%. All goals have been scored from inside the penalty box. Akliouche has an average of 2.3 shots per 90 minutes and most shots are targeted towards the bottom corner.
There is a creative side to Akliouche’s game as well. He can deliver crucial passes to a teammate and has created several goal-scoring chances. In the current season, the 23-year-old has three assists from 23 shot-assist chances created.
Maghnes averages 3.7 passes to the opposition penalty box and 60% of these successfully find a teammate. Most of the shot-assists have landed around the penalty spot.
Maghnes Akliouche will aim to get more regular starts in a Monaco shirt next season. He is a promising talent and the club will expect more.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine