Vincent Kompany: Borussia Dortmund's Julien Duranville can "turn the tide of games"

Borussia Dortmund’s Julien Duranville is a young player finally on the rise. After signing from RSC Anderlecht in the winter of 2023, Duranville went through some very literal growing pains and injury concerns; factors that made it very difficult for the youngster to go about capitalizing on the high level of potential the world has only seen glimpses of to date.

Since pre-season, Duranville has been steadily more and more involved with the first team, with the player showing the electric playstyle that has seen him called a future Balon d’Or winner. Duranville made his competitive mark for Borussia Dortmund scoring in their 4-1 win over 1. FC Phönix Lübeck in the first round of the DFB Pokal, and has now gone on to make his senior debut for the Belgian National team in a game where he looked very dangerous over the 16 minutes he was allotted.

Of course, with Duranville’s age, expectations must be tempered and pressure should be kept off of the young talent's shoulders to ensure steady and sure-footed development. In an interview with DH Les Sports, former Anderlecht and current Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany highlighted this when talking about the player, in response to previous comments made about Duranville’s future Balon d’Or eligibility:

" It is not my job to put him under pressure, especially given the small physical problems he had. But I had the chance to work with him at RSC when he was 15 or 16 years old. I gave him his first chance against Brugge when he had just turned 16. We saw straight away what an impact he had, he turned the tide of the game. That is rarely possible at his age."

- Vincent Kompany

As a former Belgian Red Devil himself, it clearly gives Kompany pride in seeing such a young talent flourish for his country. His insight in coaching the player during his time in Anderlecht also gives him special insight into just how talented the player is, and the license to make such claims. As Kompany states, however, the pressure needs to be kept at a minimum at this time, particularly because of what the player has faced in his time in professional football so far.

Duranville’s impact so far bodes well for the player's future, and it’s likely that he will continue to obtain substantial minutes on the first team (for his age) as Dortmund continue to bring their young talent up to speed in the Bundesliga. Their tempered approach may bring about the birth of a new young star that can light up the Westfalenstadion for years to come.