http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2122572,00.html Frantisek Rajtoral, Banik Ostrava Tuesday July 10, 2007 It may be too soon for Frantisek Rajtoral to attract interest from the Premiership but the Czech Under-21 international's potential was obvious at the recent European Championship in the Netherlands. The Czechs were, admittedly, missing three key players from their qualifying campaign but, when I saw him on the right wing against England, Rajtoral was the one player who stood out. The Banik Ostrava player reminded me of a young Kevin Keen, the West Ham winger, not only in his looks but in the way that he played. Though not yet physically mature, at 5ft 9in Rajtoral is lean and wiry and he will certainly improve as he develops. There is still time for him to grow. At present, in terms of pace, he is not especially quick but nor could he be described as slow. I am sure these remarks will leave people wondering precisely what made him stand out, and the answer is that when you are limited physically, mentally you have to be spot-on. He was up against Wigan's Leighton Baines and it was his choice of cross and pass, his positioning and his fitness which singled him out. I loved his decision-making over when to tuck in and when to give width, which was particularly important with England playing five men in midfield. So many times we see wingers who do not know when to come in and defend, leaving their team to be overrun in midfield. Rajtoral can go inside or out when attacking the full-back and he shows great quality when doing either. His release of the pass when going inside was good, as was his support afterwards, and there was a real mental maturity to his crossing both in the choice and delivery, which were exceptional. He will never beat people with pace, particularly not in today's game, but he has quick feet, commits his opponent and when held up he always looks to thread other players in. One of the most important aspects of his awareness is that he does not take risks and so very rarely gives the ball away. Anticipation of the ball forward was also good: he dropped off when a team-mate was under pressure and second favourite to win the ball but was quick to get past him when a flick-on was likely. He read the game very well all over the pitch, particularly when his opposing winger was crossing, and was a willing attacker of the ball at the far post. But when it was obvious there was no chance of the ball being stood up in that area he was also quick to come more central. On this evidence he is not ready for the Premiership but he could certainly command a place in most Championship sides. However, a lower-ranked Premiership team such as Wigan could take him on and help build him up. At the moment he is not the strongest player for his age, so he certainly needs to work on that. But although not strong in the tackle he is clever regarding when to win the ball and when to hold play up. This is a player who can only get better and, although he will have to work hard to make an impression at the very top, from what I saw in his attitude against England I do not think he can be written off. Vital statistics ============================================== Age - 21 Born - Pribram Position - Right winger Height - 5ft 9in Weight - 10st 10lb From - FK Marila Pribram Awareness - 9/10 Heading - 7/10 Pace - 7.5/10 Attitude - 8/10 Tackling - 7/10 Passing - 9/10 Team responsibility - 9/10 Valuation - ￡500,000 to ￡750,000 -- ╔══╗╔╗╔╗╔══╗╔╗ ╔══╗╔══╗╔══╗ ║╔═╝║╚╝║║╔═╝║║ ║╔═╝║╔═╝║╔╗║ ║║ ║╔╗║║╔═╝║║ ╚═╗║║╔═╝║╚╝║ ║╚═╗║║║║║╚═╗║╚═╗╔═╝║║╚═╗║╔╗║ ╚══╝╚╝╚╝╚══╝╚══╝╚══╝╚══╝╚╝╚╝ --

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