Three Borussia Dortmund youngsters who could be set for a breakout season
Julien Duranville
“Julien is a fast, technically strong and creative winger in whom we see great potential.” – BVB Sporting Director, Sebastian Kehl.
The highly rated winger joined Borussia Dortmund at the age of 16 from boyhood club Anderlecht. He has represented Belgium at the U-16 and U-19 level, and it has been reported that BVB are confident in a forthcoming breakout season for the young wonderkid.
Duranville is a right footed winger who is comfortable playing on both sides, but primarily the right. With only seven senior appearances to his name (one for Dortmund), there is limited footage to fully judge Duranville on. It eloquently fits his mantra of unpredictability and excitement in what fans can hope to see in this young kid.
Unfortunately for Duranville, he picked up a thigh injury in the pre-season friendly against San Diego Loyal, where he also scored his first goal for the Black and Yellows. He will be missing for ‘several weeks’, and therefore will likely be playing catch-up when he returns to full fitness.
Strengths and weaknesses
At 5’5″, Duranville’s low centre of gravity compliments his good dribbling ability and close ball control skill. The confidence he possesses means that he is not afraid to take players on. See Exhibit A, which is his 28 minute debut against Mainz on the final day of the season. Hogging the touchline at times, his tricky feet and dribbling made him a nuisance to defend against, instinctively looking for the first opportunity to cross the ball into the box. This was an impressive cameo in what was one of Dortmund’s most important games in the last decade.
If you can look past the YouTube compilations, it can be found that some weaknesses he has are in relation to being rash, whether that be in his decision making or weight of his passes. As more experience comes with accumulating more minutes in senior football, these will surely be developed for a player who has the potential to have the world at his feet.