Who is Yari Verschaeren? The Belgian wonderkid wanted by Man Utd and Arsenal

Martin Macdonald

10 Jan 2022 11:00 GMT
6 min read

Yari Verschaeren, Anderlecht — © ProShots

Over the last decade, Belgium has produced a number of world class players, so much so that the current crop of stars in the national side have been described as a 'golden generation'.

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Things are looking pretty promising for the future, too, as they have wonderkids like Yari Verschaeren already involved in the national team set up.

His performances for Anderlecht have caught the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs.

So, what kind of player is he?

What position does Yari Verschaeren play in?

Verschaeren plays as an attacking midfielder, usually feature in the number 10 role behind the striker.

How good is Yari Verschaeren?

Verschaeren is likely to be a star of the future in European football and already produces at an impressive level for Anderlecht.

He is a product of the famed academy at Anderlecht, having joined the club when he was just nine years old.

After making his way through the ranks, he eventually made his debut in November of 2018 versus Sint-Truiden.

He enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2020/21, scoring six goals and recording four assists in 18 Jupiler Pro League starts.

Verschaeren is actually on course to better that tally in 2021/22, as by January has has scored four and set up three.

The young Belgian holds a lovely command over possession and it is his eye for a pass and his overall vision that is probably his best attribute.

Though not an imposing player physically, he makes up for that with his excellent agility and decision making.

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A post shared by Yari Verschaeren (@yariverschaeren)

Belgian national team head coach Roberto Martinez was full of praise for the player in September of 2019 when he made his debut for the senior side.

“The whole of Belgian football must be happy to have such a talent again. And also as a person he is fantastic. He is a future ambassador of Belgian football," Martinez said.

"I have been following Yari very closely for over a year. We are talking about a very, very talented player here. If you look at his past years, you can see that he has always adjusted very quickly to any level.”

What clubs are interested in Yari Verschaeren?

The club most heavily linked with Verschaeren has been Milan, and in October of last year it was reported that the Italian giants had already made contact with the player and his representatives.

Now, however, Milan face a fight to sign him as both Arsenal and Manchester United have reportedly made their interest known.