Matte Smets impresses in Genk. It could bring big returns to Racing.
This summer, Genk was stronger than Anderlecht in attracting the services of Matt Smets. Racing put a little over two million on the table to recruit the defender he himself had trained until he was 14.
The choice seemed to prove to be a winning one: the young Limburger immediately established himself as a starter under the leadership of Thorsten Fink (with whom he had revealed himself in Saint-Trond) and was even called up to the Red Devils during the last gathering.
Interrogé by Het Nieuwsblad, Hein Vanhaezebrouck is full of praise for him: “In a few years, he will be the best Belgian defender. He’s a boy we haven’t heard the last of yet. He simply has everything.”
In line with the greats
HVH is impressed by the breadth of his range: “He is so down to earth, focused from start to finish. Also super good on the ball, strong defensively, excellent in heading duels, he can play short, break lines, send diagonals and slide, like Vincent Kompany, Walter Meeuws or Franz Beckenbauer in the past” he gets carried away.
The former coach of Ghent also notes the speed of Matte Smets’ progress: “You can barely see how easily he does this. I have the impression that he is also going faster. Mentally, he is also good, although I have heard say that he is quite superstitious”. Will the 20-year-old defender be one of Genk’s next big outgoing transfers? He still has four years on his contract.
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