Bundesliga wonder-kid Caglar Soyuncu targeted by Man United & Man City establishes himself as starter for Turkey national team
Turkey ended the sixth round of the World Cup qualification Group I in 3rd place, closing the gap with joint leaders Croatia and Iceland to just two points.
The Crescent-Stars crushed Kosovo 4-1 on the road to extend their winning streak to three games.
Fatih Terim’s side got their campaign off to a poor start, going three games without a win however, they have started to turn things around.
The catalyst in Turkey’s transformation has been Terim putting his faith in the youth.
See More: Who is Man Utd & Man City target Caglar Soyuncu?
The team has been held back by a poisonous atmosphere created by the older members of the squad. Constant squabbles, disputes over pay and disharmony hit a climax with Arda Turan assaulting a reporter on the team plane last week.
The Barcelona star announced his retirement but his exit could mark a bright new future for Turkey.
The signs that the team were in transition were already evident before the incident.
Terim fielded a side including 19-year-old Dortmund ace Emre Mor and Basaksehir rising star Cengiz Under. 20-year-old Freiburg defender Caglar Soyuncu, Villarreal striker Enes Unal and all available for selection.
The national team head coach recalled all the players mentioned above as well as seventeen-year-old Altinordu keeper Berke Ozer, Trabzonspor attacking midfielder Yusuf Yazici for the latest round of games.
While the players mentioned above have received playing time, Soyuncu has established himself as a first-team starter.
The powerful centre-back has started the last three games for Turkey – the 3-1 victory over Moldova, goalless draw against Macedonia and the 4-1 win over Kosovo.
The young defender has enjoyed a meteoric rise from second-tier Turkish football at Altinordu to a first-team regular in the Bundesliga for Freiburg.
Soyuncu’s rise has not gone unnoticed and he has been linked with several clubs across Europe.
Turkish-Football recently reported that Manchester United and Manchester City have expressed an interest in the defender.
The Germany outfit shelled out £2 million for the young centre-back, signing him in on a five-year contract.
The young centre-back has already broke into the first-team and has made 24 appearances in the Bundesliga, playing a total of 2070 minutes of top-tier football.
Soyuncu’s footballing idol is Barcelona legend Carles Puyol. Like the Barcelona legend, he possesses leadership skills, is a tough tackler, strong in the air but also an impressive dribbler.
The rising star started football as a striker which may explain why he is so confident on the ball. The young defender is not afraid to pass to ball out of defence or lead counter attacks with penetrating forward runs.
Soyuncu is undoubtedly one of the most exciting talents to emerge from the Turkish league in recent years and is a name we will be hearing a lot more of over the next few seasons.
Turkey have the most promising generation emerging since the national team’s golden era during the 2000’s which finished third in the 2002 World Cup and the Euro 2008 semi-finals.
