NATHAN FERNANDES — Player Analysis
Grêmio seem to have a never ending line of talented inverted left wingers coming from their academy. After Pedro Rocha (1994), Everton Cebolinha (1996) and Pepê (1997) excelled in Brazil and earned their moves to Europe, Ferreira (1997) is now thriving with the first team. And he is likely going to be followed by Jhonata Robert (1999) who is just back from a loan at Famalicão; Elias Manoel (2001), recently called up to integrate the senior squad and now taking his first steps at the top level; Zinho Hoffmann (2003), currently at the U19 level; and then Nathan Fernandes (2005), now playing with the U17s after turning 16 in February.
Nathan is naturally an inverted left winger and that’s where he plays most of his games, but he has also featured as a centre-forward, alone or as part of an attacking duo, and as a right winger. He has already collected some call ups to the Brazilian youth teams and has won a few youth trophies and awards with Grêmio, since joining the club aged 12. And he’s often likened to Sadio Mane, due to their somewhat similar looks and playing style.
This season he is part of the squad that is playing the U17 Brazilian league, and an important part of it. Along with fellow youth international striker Kauan Kelvin he is one of Grêmio’s main weapons, tearing defenses apart down the flank.
Normally starting from the left, Nathan is quite a mobile player, moving a lot across the left side of the pitch and frequently linking up with teammates. At times he drops back to help in the buildup phase offering another option to progress through the left, receiving with a great first touch and looking for a quick pass to the left-back or the closest midfielder, then moving forward to be an option again. As the team advances, Nathan tends to stay open wide, until the ball approaches the left flank and he starts his movements, either looking for runs in behind or opening passing lanes and asking the ball to his feet. In the first case, he is capable of both crossing from the wide positions or bursting into the box and playing cut-back passes. In the second, he likes to carry the ball inside, beating opponents, and look to shoot or assist.
What stands out the most about him is dribbling. He excels on 1v1 situations with flair, quick feet and top ball control. This way he often wreaks havoc on opposing defenses, beating defenders at will and opening up spaces to exploit. He is fairly strong for his age and size and shields the ball well too, which helps him thrive in tight spaces, capable of efficiently evading pressure. Not only that, he thrives in open spaces too, enjoying good speed and acceleration that make him dangerous in attacking transitions, beating defenders in space. Speaking of transitions, he doesn’t do really well in defensive transitions, often too slow to react to the changing game phases and lingering too long before rejoining the defensive efforts. In the defensive phase itself though, he does fine, slotting in the second line and always willing to follow his man.
As one of Grêmio’s main threats, he is expected to score his share of goals, but his finishing needs improving. Especially from afar, as Nathan often tries shots from outside the box after cutting inside from the left, much like his predecessors. Still, his positioning truly impresses, always finding space and moving smartly to dismark himself inside or outside the box.
As mentioned above, Nathan creates many chances with his passing, be it cutting back from outside or playing the ball in between defenders as he drifts inside with the ball at his feet. And his passes are quite good, also providing nice linkup play all around the left side. However, he is a bit too slow to make decisions at times, delaying the execution for too long and sometimes wasting good opportunities.
All things considered, Nathan is a fantastic prospect. One more in Grêmio’s incredible line of succession on the left wing. He has a few points to improve, but he is only sixteen and just joined the U17 squad, so time is on his side. If he keeps developing at this pace his senior debut is just a matter of time. One can only hope he fulfills his huge potential.
Lucas Barth
