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Basically every elite football club in Europe has a file on Francolino Dju.
In an age of essentially everything being known in football these days, the Midtjylland man might just be the best-kept striking secret in the European game, having left Benfica's academy and thrived in Denmark.
So… who exactly is Franculino Dju?
Name: Franculino Gluda Dju
Position/s: Centre-forward, right-winger
Age: 21 (Born: 28 June, 2004)
Nationality: Bissau-Guinean
Height: 1.82m (6ft)
Preferred Foot: Left
Current Club: Midtjylland
Born in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Franculino blazed youth football in Portugal at Benfica and was snapped up by Midtjylland in 2023 as a 19-year-old. He's fast become the best player in Scandinavian football right now, combining the frame and gait of a classy winger with the ruthlessness of a predator in the final third.
But if it's statistics that move you, his are impressive. 54 goals for the Jutland giants in 103 goals – that's 13 in 26 European fixtures, and 38 in 72 in the league – is a robotic output. He's started this term with 16 in 17 Superliga fixtures. Surely he'll get his move before long.
Franculino's strengths
High volume shooting and striker's instinct: Franculino is a natural striker. He gets plenty of shots away and does so quickly and efficiently, with his decision-making good enough to know when to pull the trigger. His numbers are no fluke: he takes his chances, and he gives himself plenty of them.
Acceleration over the first 10 yards: Having a striker who can destroy a high line is one thing, but Franculino has something perhaps more valuable in explosiveness. He generates separation incredibly well and has electric acceleration: of course, he's played on the wing.
Shielding the ball: Franculino has excellent core strength when it comes to holding the ball up, using his 6ft frame effectively. He's very good at pinning centre-backs, too.
Pressing and fitness: With a good engine and diligence to press effectively, Franculino has been Midtjylland's first line of defence in the Superliga, hunting down defenders building out from the back. It's easy to see how he could adapt to a top-five league.
Intelligence of movement: The Bissau-Guinean has a knack of always finding himself in the right place at the right time, thanks to timing his runs to a tee. He frequently cuts across the blindside of defenders – and when he finds himself out on the wing, can use his pace to break in from the right.
Franculino's areas of development
Aerial duelling: Despite his height, Franculino is a renowned header of the ball. The 21-year-old isn't the kind of target man that Midtjylland go long to; instead, he's more valuable chasing a second ball.
Link-up play: With the lack of a final ball and limited creativity in his box of tricks, Franculino isn't a complete striker right now. He has the physique and intelligence to certainly develop that a little further, though.
One-footedness: Franculino is incredibly reliant on his left foot. This may pose questions about his ability to get shots off quickly in a better league, if he's constantly trying to shift the ball away from his right foot.
Franculino's ceiling
Franculino is perhaps the most promising forward in Europe outside the top five leagues. There are clear comparisons with Viktor Gyokeres' ruthless style – but though a move back to Portugal could unlock similar levels of output from Franculino, the 21-year-old is a little more promising at generating his own chances. Alexander Isak comparisons are hopeful – but Franculino is a Champions League-level striker in waiting, for sure.
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