Achraf Hakimi has been a stupendous performer for Borussia Dortmund in the past two seasons, but the player is slated to move to Real Madrid at the end of the season. Now former Dortmund player and currently a member of their management, Sebastian Kehl has recently stated that the German club would do anything to keep hold of the player. In an interview with Sky Germany, he has said “If there is a chance, we will try everything. He is a very important player for us, whom we can offer a platform to develop further.”
Now Zidane must decide for himself that whether he needs the Morocco international in his side for the next season.
Hakimi’s rise in the recent season
In 2018, Real Madrid loaned Hakimi to Dortmund with the hope that he would be able to get some first-team football for the German side and return as a better player. This target has been more than satisfied, and he has been a complete player in the two years with the Bundesliga side.
This season Hakimi has featured in 31 league matches for his club and take an active part in 15 league goals, scoring five and assisting another ten, a remarkable feat for any player who primarily plays as a right-back. Although the youngster joined Dortmund solely as a right-back, he has often been asked to play at an advanced position, more as a right-sided defensive midfielder and that has brought immense success to him and the club. However, that does not mean the starlet has not been deployed at any other positions, as in some matches, the 21-year-old has even been made to play as an attacking midfielder.
Statistics wise, the right-back has been phenomenal this term as he has completed 2.2 dribbles on average per match going forward, which has made Dortmund such a dangerous side from the right side of the flanks. Hakimi has also completed 84.8% of his total passes this season, which is phenomenal considering that the youngster always tends to move forward with the ball and set the attack for his team.
Dortmund are known for playing an attacking brand of football under Favre, which is helped by his team’s knack of playing long balls. In this context, it can be mentioned that Hakimi has hit 2.1 long balls per 90 minutes this season. Not only Real Madrid, but any club in the world would be blessed to have a player of his calibre in the ranks, and thus it is not surprising that the German side are also willing to keep him at any cost.
Do Real Madrid need Hakimi?
This season Dani Carvajal has mostly manned the right-back position for the club, and it is fair to say that the Spaniard has done a decent job. Other than him, at times, Zidane has been forced to play Militão at the same place in Carvajal’s absence. This has highlighted the lack of depth of Los Blancos squad in their wing-back slot. Although Nacho is an option for the French gaffer, the 30-year-old has been demoted to a squad player and is more comfortable on the left-hand side.
Therefore, we can conclude that Real Madrid would be fortunate to have Hakimi back in the squad going into the new season. His tender age would mean that there is ample scope for development and that with time, he could be the permanent man for the Madrid based club at the right-back slot. However, one issue that the club might have to face is Hakimi’s displeasure about being demoted to the bench on his return to Spain, and the manager must be careful so that it does not cause any unrest in the side.
Stats from Whoscored.
