Football may have been at a standstill 2 years ago during the global pandemic, but that didn’t get in the way of an unknown 17-year-old taking the Belgian League by storm, who was linked with powerhouses across Europe. The country from which the latest wonderkid hails from this time is Belgium.
Aster Vranckx is the latest addition to the Rossoneri’s list of summer signings. Born on 4 October 2002 in Erps-Kwerps, halfway between Brussels and Leuven, the young midfielder joined AC Milan from Wolfsburg. The German club bought him in January 2021 from Belgian side Mechelen, with whom he had completed the latter stages of his youth career and made his first-team debut at the age of 16 in August 2019.
While AC Milan were busy completing the change of ownership from Elliott Management to RedBird Capital, they also managed to agree on a deal for Aster Vranckx with Wolfsburg.
Of Congolese descent, Vranckx came through the ranks of Belgium club KV Mechelen where he reportedly caught the eye of a number of European clubs, before putting his future in the hands of Wolfsburg. So what can the Rossoneri expect from the Belgian?
🎥 | Excerpts from Aster Vranckx presentation conference earlier today pic.twitter.com/I41q9ZCIVT
— CHAMPIONS OF ITALY 🏆 (@MilanEye) September 11, 2022
How good is Aster Vranckx?
Vranckx, who is Belgium born but of Congolese descent, played for the Mechelen youths and U18s before being promoted to the senior side in summer 2019. After making his pro debut in the 2019 Belgian Super Cup, he got his first taste of the Jupiler League as a 38th-minute substitute in a goalless draw with Anderlecht, aged 17.
The coronavirus pandemic halted the season two months early, but not Vranckx’s progress. The 6’0″ right-footer had started the majority of Mechelen’s league games in 2020/21 before penning a four-year deal to join Wolfsburg in summer 2021. The Belgium U21 international made his Bundesliga debut as a substitute in the 2-0 loss to Union Berlin on Matchday 8 of 2021/22.
Vranckx who is 183cm tall, uses his frame to shield the ball away from his opponent while he has the quick feet to turn or change direction making him a tricky customer for players to deal with. His ability to make runs into space, especially in the final third of the pitch makes him a tricky customer.
He has the ability to start and finish counter-attacks because of his high work rate and anticipation at the defensive end, supported by his…
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