Filippo Mané (CB, 20, Italy)
Starting the group with a strong talent. Mané is an energetic and committed defender who thrives in a front-footed approach. He is pretty quick for a CB and has the necessary strength to be a physically dominant defender. Mané is a suffocator who demands the most out of his opponent by sticking to them relentlessly before hitting his man with the goal of dispossession. He uses his body well, excelling particularly in cutting across defenders and shielding, both in which he knows how to utilize the strength in his upper and lower body.
With possession, he is again ambitious and demanding. Mané is a bulldozer carrier who picks up momentum in his driving and exploits open lanes, brushing off defenders while doing so. His passing shows great potential with his long-clipped passing and pocket-finding driven passes. Moving into the first team is all about whether he can get the volume and efficiency of this side of his game right.
In terms of areas for development, it all comes down to smoothing out his approach, as his aggressive style automatically makes him a vulnerable target against attackers who sense his recklessness. Maturity, mentoring, and coaching will help this. In addition, confidence playing from the back needs to be maintained while also monitoring the intelligence in decision-making; there is no need to act irrationally. Should be breaking into the first team next season, in my opinion. Could learn a lot from Waldemar Anton as an understudy, will pick up lots on the methodical side of the game, and can apply it alongside the physical game well. With news of Emre Can staying looking likely, I feel as though Dortmund is making a huge mistake, with Mané having a great pathway blocked.