After a slow start to life in Italy, Rafael Leao is now the talk of the town.
- Published before Rafael Leao scored in AC Milan 1-1 Udinese
With seven goals and three assists so far this term, the 22-year-old has already equalled his return from the last two seasons.
Given he has Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud to learn from, it should perhaps come as no real surprise that he has made such strides, now into his third season with the Rossoneri.
Already he's been noticed by his national manager, making his international bow with Portugal too this term, and with Milan no longer the powerhouse of European football they once were, it is only a matter of time before the current elite come calling.
'The Portuguese Mbappe'
Leao is starting to show signs of living up to the flattering nickname given to him back in his homeland.
He has 28 goal contributions from 53 Milan appearances, and is becoming a vital young cog in an interesting mix of youth and experience put together by Stefano Pioli.
Leao is currently finding himself at the end of chances worth xG/95 of 0.30 in Serie A. While not hugely impressive, it is partly down to his tendencies to shoot from tight angles and occasionally from distance.
What kind of player is he?
There is also more to him than just goals. How he arrives in those positions is impressive, and worth noting.
Pioli has utilised Leao as a wide forward, preferring to use the likes of Giroud and Ibrahimovic as target men up front. This has allowed Leao to be an outlet when Milan are in possession in deeper areas.
Standing at over 6ft. tall, Leao's long strides and agility allow him to take long strides when on the ball, making him difficult for opposition defenders to keep up with.
When in transition, his relationship with Theo Hernandez has seen Milan stretch opponents in different ways, with the Portugal international thriving in one-v-one, and averaging around 5.37 dribbles per league game.
As the graphic suggests, not only is Leao a high-volume dribbler but once he gets past his markers, he also penetrates the penalty area often, averaging roughly 6.34 touches in the box per match.
When compared to players in his age bracket, Leao's profile stands out.
But for all the improvements in his all-round game, the next step for him has to be an improvement in goal return, something Milan will be counting on in this season's title race.
