Young Felipe Caicedo has led City’s forward line alone with increasing regularity and bagged some important goals for the club…
Still only 20 years old, the muscular young Ecuadorian who joined City from FC Basle in January 2008 has taken a lot of stick throughout his 25 game Citizens career but the Eastlands faithful have been steadily warming to the lad’s head down, hard working efforts.
This season, Caicedo has started 14 games for The Blues with 11 substitute appearances and has bagged 7 goals along the way. No mean feat for a young inexperienced player. He’s had a steep learning curve.
Today’s Premier League players are absolute athletes and strikers in particular have to be able to handle sizeable physical batterings and run and run. Caicedo has the size to do that and has done so, but his raw talents must be honed.
City manager Mark Hughes was fulsome of his praise for Big Cass this week:
‘Felipe has done okay. He found it difficult initially but has come in and shown an eye for a goal.
‘People forget how young he is. We have had strikers at the club this year who have been light in terms of experience and age.
‘They have benefited from the opportunities they have had this year. Felipe certainly has potential but he is not the finished article yet.’
This correspondent would go so far as to say that out of the young strikers Sparky has given opportunities to such as Jo, Ched Evans and the questionably advised Daniel Sturridge, only 22 year old Valeri Bojinov and Caicedo have shown the most endeavour and the will to win.
Sturridge, spotted driving away from Eastlands before kick off last Sunday would do well to take that fact on board.
At a time when European football’s eyes are focused upon whom Manchester City will sign next, particularly up front, Mark Hughes should make a point of holding on to Caicedo in an effort to see if he can bring the lad on alongside an incoming experienced striker.
I have a gut feeling that if City persevere with the hard working Caicedo, and if Hughes can cut himself loose of his one up front mindset, The Blues could well have a powerful gem on their hands that could save the club a lot of loot in the coming years.
If the City gaffer can also ensure that the talented tough as old boots Bojinov sticks around, then all the better for the squad’s attacking options in the next campaign and who knows, we can begin to develop our very own galactico’s.
There’ll be no harm in aiming that high.
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