One of the midfielder linked with a summer move to Premier League giants Manchester United has always been a regular source of goals.
In fact, the £60 million-rated star has reached double figures in four of the last five seasons. But while the number of goals has remained relatively consistent – averaging 14 across those four campaigns – the manner in which he finds the back of the net has changed quite a bit.
The Manchester United-linked Teun Koopmeiners, during his time as the captain of Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar, scored most of his goals from set-piece situations. Penalties, more often than not. There was a quite remarkable spell, during 2020/21 and into the start of the following campaign, when Koopmeiners scored 21 successive goals either from spot-kicks or dead-balls.
Since moving to Italy with Atalanta, however, the rangy Dutch international has added another string to his bow. A box-crashing, almost Paul Scholes-like penchant for finding a pocket of space in the penalty area and fizzing first-time finishes into the corners, a la during Atalanta’s 3-0 hammering of reigning Serie A champions Napoli on Saturday.
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Manchester United like Atalanta ace Teun Koopmeiners
That was Koopmeiners’ 13th goal of 2023/24. Only three of those have come from the penalty spot. In fact, 16 of his 27 strikes for La Dea arose from open play.
And it’s fitting, considering Koopmeiners’ reputation as one of the most flexible and complete central midfield players in Europe, that the 26-year-old has accumulated a healthy number of headers, as well as proving himself capable of finishing off moves with both his left foot and his supposedly ‘weaker’ right one.
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In fact, as pointed out by Opta Paolo on X, only one midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues – Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham with 16 – has scored more than Koopmeiners’ 11 goals during the current campaign.
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Man United famously missed out on Bellingham when the then-Birmingham City wonderkid opted to rebuff Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s advances and put pen to paper with Borussia Dortmund.
Koopmeiners may not quite be in the same league as arguably the finest footballer on planet earth right now. But he might just be the next best thing, in terms of scoring goals from his box-to-box role.
According to FC Inter News, Man United scouted Koopmeiners, Joshua Zirkzee and his Atalanta team-mate Giorgio Scalvini during a recent Serie A clash with Bologna. Koopmeiners is making no secret of his desire for a fresh start – he went as far as to admit that ‘I want to leave’ in the summer – but Atalanta are under no immediate pressure to cash in.
Not after earning £64 million following that sale of one Rasmus Hojlund to a certain Premier League giant less than 12 months ago.