Name: Vladimir Weiss
Date of Birth: 30th November 1989
Position: Winger
Club: Manchester City
Club honours: FA Youth Cup
International apps(goals)
Slovakia 3(0)
Another product of the never ending production line at Eastland’s, a line that once produced City star Glenn Whelan, Weiss is rated as one the best.
The 19-year-old has already made his first team debut, a substitute appearance during the 1-0 win over Bolton on the last day of last season, and after breaking into the Slovakia side in August he now has three caps, including a Man of the Match performance at Windsor Park just a few weeks ago that virtually booked the Slovaks place in next years World Cup in South Africa.
Weiss is sure to be included in that World Cup squad if he continues to play the way he is. The winger has pace to burn, that many tricks up his sleeve that they touch his shoulder and a fine delivery. He is also handy at free kicks as Chelsea found out at their peril during City’s Youth Cup run last season and another academy graduate Shaun Wright-Phillips must be looking uneasily over his shoulder at the ever developing talent that the Slovakian is.
Comparisons have already been made with City legend Georgi Kinkladze, but the youngster has more of an all round game that the Georgian, but obviously is not up to the standard the 90’s sensation produced every week.
This pre-season was a huge success for Weiss. He played in all three of City’s games in the Vodacom challenge, played in South Africa, before playing the full 90 minutes at the Nou Camp against Barcelona as the Eastland’s side triumphed 1-0 thanks to Martin Petrov’s strike.
Even with all the money at City’s disposal it is believed that talent like Weiss cannot be ignored and he will prove that if your good enough you can still force your way in the side, as did Micah Richards, Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onouha amongst others when the money wasn’t there. If City do decide that they prefer a £25m+ player to this home-grown wonderkid then another top, top side will no doubt snap him up.