Who exactly is Abdoulaye Camara? FourFourTwo's two-minute scout report

When it became clear that Abdoulaye Camara would leave Montpellier in France, there was a scramble for his signature.

Udinese won the race amid reported interest from Juventus and the Bundesliga, yet the former French under-17 captain is yet to play for the Bianconeri, as the club show him patience, allowing for a two-to-three-year development phase and giving him regular showings in the Primavera 2.

With Camara an unused substitute in nearly 20 Serie A games this season, here's your scout report on the youngster.

So… who exactly is Abdoulaye Camara?

Watford-affiliated Udinese clearly spotted something special in Guinea-born Camara, looking to secure him before his breakout, just as they have with the likes of 20-year-old Colombian full-back Juan Arizala, 19-year-old Senegalese centre-forward Idrissa Gueye and, of course, teenage midfield starlet Lennon Miller from Motherwell. The club have since introduced a new analysis partner Driblab, making new signings particularly intriguing to gauge.

Camara was one who clearly passed the eye test, however. A DM cut from the cloth of recent Les Bleus success stories, Aurelien Tchouameni, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Warren Zaire-Emery, the 17-year-old is physically supreme with the muscle to stamp his authority on a midfield, but has the deftness and technical grace in compact spaces to separate him from the pack.

Camara's strengths

Interception radar and tackling ease: It's easy to see Eduardo Camavinga comparisons with Camara, thanks to his combination of high intelligence to position himself for the interception, and long legs to hook the ball from attackers with relative ease. The 17-year-old is almost always in the right place at the right time – but he also times going to ground exceptionally well.

Press resistance and technical security: Considering he's over 6ft tall and still not yet 18 years old (scary), Camara has remarkably light feet. He's able to shimmy out of tight spaces with simple drag-backs and ‘croqueta’ moves to keep possession.

Line-breaking verticality: Far more than just a sideways passer, there's an element of risk-taking with forward balls that Camara plays, either into the channels or looking to break lines. Squint, and you could be forgiven for thinking you're watching a young Patrick Vieira.

Maturity and mentality: Already a captain at youth level for his country, Camara has been hailed for his professionalism, coupled with a composure in and out of possession. Turning down bigger offers for a move to a midtable Italian side who wanted to develop him over three years certainly suggests that he has his head screwed on, too.

Aerial duel-winning and physique: Camara is reliable in the air and a presence in the centre of the park. His natural strength should certainly aid him with the step up to senior football.

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Camara's areas of development

Senior experience: He's excelled in youth football – but Camara is yet to play a senior league game for Udinese. At still just 17 years old, there are going to be bumps in the road over the coming months and years and patience is needed with his development. With the teenager, it'll be speed of thought that needs adaptation rather than any kind of physical change.

Over-commitment and discipline: As with so many young players, Camara is sometimes overly keen to win the ball back and can commit rash, challenges, which will have to be ironed out of his game over time.

Final third output: If Camara is to evolve into a true box-to-box threat, he'll need a little more precision in the sharp end of the pitch. He's currently a master of the build-up phase in possession but could do with using his high intelligence and and positional sense to develop a box-crashing instinct.

Camara's ceiling

Right now, the goal for Camara is to establish himself at Udinese without looking too much further – but the idea of him becoming a Champions League-level defensive midfielder in five years certainly isn't out of the question given his physical fundamentals and mental profile. Refinement is the name of the game and having shown plenty of patience up until now, he will surely make a senior debut before the end of the season with an eye to making a few more appearances next term.