Wolves teenager Birtwistle says he models his game on Hakimi

Teenage Wolves talent Harry Birtwistle says he is a similar type of player to Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi.

In an interview with the Athletic, the 17-year-old defender was asked who he models his game on.

Birtwistle plays at right wing-back for James Collins’ Under-23 side and chose the man who joined PSG for €70 million (£59.4 million) in the summer, as per Goal.

Of Hakimi, he said: “I like to play a bit like him… he gets involved with his speed and assists and his recoveries are immense.

“I haven’t been in the professional system as long as some of the other kids. I’ve got a lot of potential, I just need to keep working hard. Definitely on my crossing, different tricks to beat my man and also my defending.

“I’ve trained a bit with the first team. Not week in week out, but this year it’s happened quite a lot. I’ve spoken to Bruno Lage and his assistants quite a bit.

“They tell me what I need to work on and different things they look for in a player. It’s a big difference from academy to first-team football, especially the game smartness.”

Birtwistle is one of the brightest prospects in the Wolves academy.

The article also talks about how he has moved from Singapore to pursue his dreams in professional football, which has meant he has not seen his mother for around two years now.

Hakimi is one of the best attacking full-backs in world football – so why not model your game on him?

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