While everyone does know about the hottest Gabonese footballer in the world, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang there is another player who is slowly but surely making waves in European football.
Mario Lemina currently is on loan at Juventus but has played most of his senior career in France. He is contracted with Marseille and plays as a central midfielder. The 22-year-old is a target for many top Premier League clubs including Liverpool and Arsenal but why is he such a hot property in Europe?
From Africa to the Italian champions
Juventus have clinched yet another league title recently and it seems they do have a clutch of youngsters who are doing well. Lemina hasn’t played many games for the Old Lady but if he does get a chance, we are sure he will step-up and perform extremely well for the side.
The 22-year-old can play either as a central midfielder or a right-back as well but his preferred position is that of a defensive midfielder. He was part of the Lorient youth academy at the age of 11, he was later bought by Ligue 1 giants Marseille and started making waves in France under Marcelo Bielsa.
The Gabonese youngster attracted a lot of attention in his season with Marseille and it was Juventus who beat clubs such as Liverpool and West Ham to sign him on a loan deal with a chance to buy him in the future and make the deal a permanent one.
Lemina is a player who isn’t the tallest in the world but that does not affect his ability on the pitch. Despite being a defensive midfielder by position and nature, he is quick and is always willing to make a run into the opposition box.
The youngster is known for his ability to plug holes in the team when the opposition tries to attack. He has played almost everywhere in the back line, as a wing-back and as a central defender during his time in Marseille.
There are some issues with his gameplay as well, like any youngster trying to grow, he does suffer the occasional lack of concentration. He is also known to have quite a temper and was sent off for punching a player in the groin in the French league not too long ago.
Lemina though is just starting his journey for a top club. This is the time for him to show what he can do and maybe a move away from Juventus could be the answer for a regular playing time but then again, he could be the one to take up the mantle of Paul Pogba or Sami Khedira, depending on how the summer goes for the Old Lady.