Juan Quintero can be an ideal signing for Manchester City in January
According to the Manchester Evening News, Manchester City have reportedly held talks with the agent of Colombian playmaker Juan Fernando Quintero, according to the player himself.
The same report claims that the player is honoured to have evoked interest from Manchester City but he claims that he is a fan of his current club River Plate and only a lucrative offer can bring him back to Europe.
Quintero is currently on loan at River Plate from his parent club FC Porto and the 25-year-old wrote his name in the club’s history books when he scored the winner against Boca Juniors in the final of the Copa Libertadores in December.
A product of Colombian club Envigado, Quintero played for his boyhood club and Atletico Nacional before making his move to Italy with Pescara. The 25-year-old was signed by Porto in 2013 but he has spent a good part of the last three seasons on loan at Independiente Medellin, Rennes and River Plate on loan.
Quintero, who has represented Colombia at both 2014 and 2018 World Cups, became the first Colombian to score in two world cups. He was one of the driving forces behind his nation’s qualification to the knockout stages in Russia last summer, accumulating a goal and 2 assists from 4 appearances.
The Colombian has earned rave reviews as one of the most talented creative playmakers in the world but his career in Europe is yet to take off. However, a move to Premier League giants Manchester City might help him take his career to greater heights.
Standing at 5ft. 7 inches, Quintero is roughly of the same stature as David Silva. His greatest asset is his low centre-of-gravity which allows him to keep good balance and run with the ball glued to his feet. A diminutive creative ace, Quintero is known for his ability to bring a dead attack to life with his creative passing in the midfield.
A quick, sharp, agile and technically gifted midfielder, the Colombian is adept at filling the hole behind the striker in a No. 10 role and can also operate as a withdrawn playmaker in a central midfield role. He is known for his intelligent passing which allows him to work the half spaces between the defenders and he knows how to create his own space with sharp turns and clever changes of direction. He is not particularly fast but he can open up the spaces with his sharpness and agility on and off the ball.
Blessed with a magical left foot that is capable of picking out the runs with inch-perfect passes, Quintero often uses his vision to switch the play and create chances from the deeper areas of the pitch. Furthermore, he has an incredible eye for goal from long range and can also make runs into the box to get into scoring positions.
To put things into perspective, Manchester City can certainly do with a bit more depth in their midfield options and someone like Quintero can add cover and competition for the likes of David Silva and Bernardo Silva. In fact, the Colombian has the potential to emerge as the long-term successor to the throne of David Silva.
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The Citizens closed the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table with a 2-1 victory over the Reds this week. As opposed to the previous season where it was virtually a one-horse race at the top of the table, the Citizens will have to fight tooth and nail with Liverpool this term to defend their crown.
Kevin de Bruyne has struggled for form and fitness this season and Quintero has all the talent in the world to add more depth to City’s squad. That said, he is a player with huge potential and the Citizens should snap him up during this mid-season trading period.
