Few regular Ligue 1 followers were surprised when sports daily L’Equipe named Majeed Waris as one of their five “Revelations of the Season†at the end of 2013-14.
The Ghana international striker – currently with Turkish club Trabzonspor – was unknown in France when he joined Valenciennes on loan from Spartak Moscow in the January transfer window at the start of this year.
Five months later, he had developed one of the most feared goalscorers in the French top flight and now Man United boss Louis van Gaal is sending Ryan Giggs to keep tabs on him.
Waris’ impact was instant. He made his Ligue 1 debut against Bastia on January 11 and scored what turned out to be a crucial 72nd-minute goal in a 3-2 win.
After that, there was no stopping him. In 16 Ligue 1 appearances from January to May 2014, Waris, now 23, scored nine goals at a rate of a goal every 154 minutes. Leaving out the two penalties he converted, he scored at an open-play rate of a goal every 198 minutes.
What made those figures all the more remarkable was Waris was playing in a struggling team. Valenciennes spent almost the entire campaign in the relegation zone. Waris had few players of a similar calibre around him.
The main reason he was able to get away from defenders was his biggest asset – fantastic pace.
Waris is quick – very quick. Inside the penalty area he would make darting runs so team-mates could find him with sharp, incisive balls.
Over longer distances he was also effective. When Valenciennes won possession in their own half he would pull away to the right wing. You’d see him, arm in the air, calling for a long, direct pass so he could run at defenders.
Waris’ excellent form earned him a place in Ghana’s World Cup squad. His only appearance was in a group game against Portugal. Ghana lost 2-1, he didn’t score and was taken off after 71 minutes.
Even though he failed to shine in Brazil, however, last summer might have been a logical moment to move to the Premier League – especially as he has a background in English football.
Aged 16 Waris won a scholarship from the football academy where he was based in Ghana to Hartpury College in Gloucestershire. While at Hartpury College he was selected to play for the English Colleges football team.
“People used to watch me playing at college level and say, ‘he must already be a professional!’ Waris laughed last season. “But I was a student, just like everybody else.â€
It was during his time in England he caught the eye of Swedish club BK Hacken. He began his professional career in Sweden in 2009 and during three years there he won a Swedish Player of the Year award.
He joined Spartak Moscow in 2012 but failed to have the same impact so took the loan move to Valenciennes before joining Trabzonspor after the World Cup.
Is Waris good enough to play for a top club such as Manchester United? Those that followed him closely in France might question that. His ability on the ball was less impressive than his pace.
You wonder how much he could contribute outside the penalty area if he were performing at a higher level. He was a willing worker but his small frame (172cm) sometimes restricted his impact against physical opponents.
And the majority of his goals in France came against mediocre opposition.
He scored against Bastia (who finished 10th), Nice (17th), Sochaux (18th), Rennes (12th), Evian (14th) and Ajaccio (20th). The only top-eight team he scored against was Lyon (5th). Against Lorient (8th), Bordeaux (7th), Marseille (6th), St Etienne (4th), Lille (3rd), Monaco (2nd) and PSG (1st) he fired blanks.
Trabzonspor and the standard in Turkey seemed to be a good fit for him. Can he play at a higher level? On that question, the jury’s out.
Source: Mirror