Reece Munro

top1whoisman

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The 17-year old tall centre back is slowly becoming a key player for our U18s.

Strong in duels and in the air, reads the game pretty well too. He looks kind of clumsy on the ball, but is actually quite gifted technically. Loves to bring the ball forward which is a good trait for a future CB.

Right-footed but seems pretty comfortable with his left too. More natural as a RCB but can also play on the left if needed. Good, versatile passer too.

Another interesting prospect to follow in the coming years.





 
Played well as a ball playing CB today bringing the ball out of the defence either with a run or pass and used both feet. Could be a bit stronger when opponents get physical with him defensively
 
Ekeke said:
Played well as a ball playing CB today bringing the ball out of the defence either with a run or pass and used both feet. Could be a bit stronger when opponents get physical with him defensively
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Agree. The good thing is that physical part of his game is relatively ”easy” to improve. Has a lot of the tools a modern CB needs.
 
I'm actually curious, how many games has he played as a CB this season? I feel like Kingdon and Jackson were our first choice CBs whenever they are available and Munro was playing RB when needed?
 
saik said:
I'm actually curious, how many games has he played as a CB this season? I feel like Kingdon and Jackson were our first choice CBs whenever they are available and Munro was playing RB when needed?
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He’s started 11 out of 17 league games as a CB. Jackson & Kingdon have started four league games + the two FAYC matches together.

McAllister played most of the beginning of the season as our RB. Nolan played there a couple of games. More recently it’s been Kamason or Ogunneye. Can’t remember Munro playing a full match on the right.
 
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top1whoisman said:
He’s started 11 out of 17 league games as a CB. Jackson & Kingdon have started four league games together.

McAllister played most of the beginning of the season as our RB. Nolan played there a couple of games. More recently it’s been Kamason or Ogunneye. Can’t remember Munro playing a full match on the right.
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I remember Munro covering RB once. But in all probability I must have mixed him up with Ogunneye. :lol:
 
I’m glad that he seems more settled at this level and you can see with the runs forward he makes now he has grown in confidence.

Can see him being a leader for the generation that seems to be pushing through now. Hopefully he stays injury free unlike similarly talented predecessors.
 
He’s had a very strong start to the season. Seems to be our U18s captain now too. Fun game today going forward as a RB.

 
Now that he seems to has gone through his growth spurt seems to be more akin to some of the physical beast CBs we have came through the rank (Mengi, Kwambala).

Hope he’ll have a cleaner injury bill than them though.
 
When does he turn 18? I’m wondering how quickly he will be progressed into the under 21 regularly. Hopefully whatever his route it’s injury free and consistent also.
 
Borninthe80ts said:
I think he is the academy central defender with the profile most suited to the new managers style. I’d like to see how he fairs regularly at under 21 level by the end of the year, test himself as he looks really comfortable now.
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I haven't watched Sporting apart from the odd game so I wouldn't know.

It's still very early regarding Munro. He missed a decent sized chunk of last season so the 1,779 minutes he has played for the U18s is not a huge sample size. Less than 20 full matches. But the early signs are good. He had a good spell last year and the injury came at a very bad time just as he was becoming a regular starter.

For me he seems a very good combination of physical capabilities and technical attributes. He's always been a big lad but it seems like he's grown into an adult this summer. He's quick and agile, very determined and strong in duels, but equally composed and calm when needed. Reads the game well and positions himself in the right place in more situations. Maybe the biggest compliment I can give him is that he doesn't seem to have any obvious weaknesses, based on what I've seen. Just like Kingdon was one of the key players and one of the most consistent players in our last season's triumphs, Munro is becoming one this year. A leader of a young group of players for a reason. Surprised I haven't seen him in the England youth squads yet.

Looking forward to him playing in the U21s in 2025. Partly due to the U18 PL not offering our best players enough of a challenge right now. Depending on the formation Amorim decides to go with as well as CB departures, we might even see Munro on the tour next summer.
 
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I was thinking about this while watching the latest big win for the U18's on Saturday - if the first team does switch to a 3-4-2-1 type formation, do you think the youth groups will do similar in order for the players coming through to know the system and style of play?

The reason I'm asking on this thread is because the one position I was most thinking about in regards to that is centre-back. We haven't produced many good CB's for a good while now - though a few promising ones hampered by injuries such as Tuanzebe and Mengi. So playing three of them at youth levels may involve a need to get better when it comes to targeting / improving players in that position.

Munro does look one of the better ones, combining both physical and technical attributes. Though, as with plenty before him, injuries were certainly an issue last season and hopefully he'll not become one of those whose development is badly hampered by them.
 
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