Gary Neville has been blown away by the “huge” impact made by Lucas Torreira at Arsenal this season.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football programme, the high-profile pundit explained why he had been so impressed by the midfielder after being concerned about his mobility when watching him for Uruguay at the World Cup.
Neville said: “I watched him in the World Cup. I did the France vs Uruguay game live and he was tenacious. In the first half an hour to 40 minutes you thought he gets around the pitch and he’s like a terrier, but then actually as France started to get on top he started to get dominated.
“I just remember thinking he couldn’t get around the pitch. So when Arsenal signed him you just wondered how it would be? But his impact upon that team is huge.
“Someone like him leaves his team-mates with nowhere to go. If you look at him in that derby last week against Tottenham getting forward into the box he’s almost like this bundle of energy that everyone else in the team responds too, and this team needed that.
“He’s diminutive, not very big but then he’s tenacious. He gets into the box and he’s scored two goals in the last week. He’s good on the ball, he’s tidy on the ball and takes it and shows courage. He’s a massive upgrade on where they’ve been but most of all the impact he’s having on Arsenal’s mentality is huge.”
OPINION
Short of stature he may be, but Torreira is emerging as a giant figure in this new-look Arsenal side transformed in a matter of months by Unai Emery. The central midfielder began the season on the bench with a series of cameo performances but has not looked back since nailing down a regular starting slot and is now undroppable. Torreira was expected to be a midfield destroyer who would win the ball, snap into tackles and launch attacks NGolo Kante-style. But the Uruguayan is so much more than just an anchorman who protects the defence. He is excellent on the ball, box to box, and has the energy and stamina to make a big impact in the final third late in matches. Consecutive weekends have yielded match-clinching goals, and spectacular ones, too. His derby-day goal against Tottenham was an emphatic finish that brought the house down, while his bicycle kick winner against Huddersfield made jaws drop around Emirates Stadium.