Thomas Meunier: What to expect from new Borussia Dortmund signing

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Playing Style

Firstly, we all know of Hakimi’s engine and his ability to make darting runs up and down the pitch from the first whistle to the last. Meunier is not as prominent in that area, and also does not have the turn of speed or the acceleration that Hakimi possesses.

This might be seen as a problem with the formation that Borussia Dortmund play, but with Meunier, he is an attack minded full-back who relies on his composure, positioning and ability to read the game to be where he needs to be.

This is something that has been helped by playing as a striker and winger very early on in his career, before being converted to the right-back role.

Meunier is also a more physical defender, who will not be afraid to get stuck in. He averages 1.8 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.1 clearances per game for PSG this season. If the ball is lost and a counter is underway, he is intelligent enough to drop himself into that position to try and hold up the break.

However, what these decent figures do not tell is that the Belgian is also prone to making sloppy errors, and hasn’t been at his best for PSG this season.

He does bring a winning mentality and a wealth of experience to the team, not only from the big clubs he has represented, but from playing international football at a very high level for Belgium. This is something that could be valuable come Champions League time, and in helping the younger players such as Mateu Morey, for example, develop further.

You will not see fancy footwork from him, but what you will see is him protect the ball and keep it moving, which enables him to position himself higher up the pitch to make a difference. He may not be the flashiest of full-backs, but he is consistent and gets the job done, albeit not consistently.

Although in comparison to Hakimi, his tally of one goal and two assists isn’t something that will fill fans with too much confidence. But his performances for Belgium, who play a similar system to Dortmund, have shown that he is capable of producing the goods going forward. Expect those goal and assist numbers to increase in Borussia Dortmund’s system next season.

This signing, could go down as yet another steal For Borussia Dortmund, especially if Meunier can surprise fans in the way Emre Can did following his January arrival from Juventus. Meunier may not be the most exciting of signings, but if he can do his talking on the pitch, fans will fall in love with him very quickly.