Young Player Profie: Nabil El Zhar

Name: Nabil El Zhar
Age: 20
Position: Forward
Club: Liverpool
Country: Morocco

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Nabil El Zhar. As of today, he is a Liverpool reserves player. We could have put up pictures of him standing around the pitch in his new Liverpool jersey but we thought these pictures were more informative.

El Zhar, as you can see, is a guy who likes to get tangled up among opposing defences. You can also see that he's a nippy fella with low centre of gravity. Both pictures above suggest that the guy has pace and knows how to get around defenders.

Mainstream media will back this up - with Wikipedia reporting that his natural playing position is either as a striker or playing in the hole behind the front two, and the bulk of Liverpool sites describing him as a highly determined striker. El Zhar is a French-born Moroccan who has started junior games for both nations. He was part of the Moroccan team that finished 4th in last years World Youth Championships - which figures, because Kop scouts had been watching that tournament closely.

Much remains to be seen of this kid. But the press are starting to get their feelers around him so we thought it was time to dip our fingers into his limited fame. Young French-based players arriving at Liverpool was the hot thing five years ago, and it was a failed policy. As much as there is stuff to suggest raw talent and potential, there is equal measure suggesting problems adapting the british game's brutish lack of charm (look at him!). And while the fan in me would like to see him succeed, the critic in me thinks this is Anthony Le Tallec meets Bruno Cheyrou south of the border. All the best in the Mersey, kid. Please make me eat my words.

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