Ádám Gyurcsó     22     Midfielder     Videoton     Hungary

2013 has been…

A case of what might have been.  Hindsight remains a wonderful thing, and while there are players that make up The 100 that we look at now and wonder quite why selected them instead of others, Ádám Gyurcsó remains something of an enigma.

Everything is in place.  This is a genuinely two footed player that possesses skill and a directness that can hurt.  2012, especially the first half of, was a wonderful year for Adam Gyurcsó .  Videoton, his club, had been runners up to Debrecen in the title race, but they had bagged some success, capturing both the League and Super Cups.  Instrumental throughout this period and gaining full international recognition en route, teenage winger Gyurcsó had been the breakout star of the season, and offered a glimmer of hope to a nation too long on the periphery of international football.

A product of Videoton’s outstanding Ferenc Puskás Football Academy, Gyurcsó  had enjoyed a profitable season on loan to Kecskemét prior to his ‘arrival’ and after such an exemplary 2012, the new year looked interesting to say the very least.  But there are other names in the story of Adam Gyurcsó ’s 2013, and the first of those is coach José Gomes….

Appreciated by former coach Paulo Sousa, Gyurcsó has not been quite as popular with current Videoton boss Gomes who has preferred other players in his chosen position.  The main individuals to benefit have been István Kovács and László Kleinheisler, two young attackers that have quickly made Gyurcsó look largely redundant.

So far this season Gyurcsó has only started three league matches, and has failed to impress in any while his younger compatriots have been the form players for a number of weeks

What next?

This all seems such a shame as Gyurcsó certainly has the raw materials to do well.  While we can’t get too involved in the managerial and coaching structure at Videoton, we have to wonder what has gone wrong when a player bounds through an academy and then plateaus and dips so alarmingly.  It wasn’t long ago that this particular youngster was being hailed as the saviour of Hungarian football and had already established his international credentials.  Now, he doesn’t look likely to regain a place in the team at Videoton with Kleinheisler - three years Gyurcsó’s junior - displacing him for club and probably country any time soon.

There have also been suggestions of a fall out not just with coach Gomes, but also with club owner István Garancsi.  If the rumours are accurate, then Gyurcsó’s time at Vidi is unlikely to extend much beyond the next transfer window.  A bright thing at 19, washed up at 22.

For his own development, a move elsewhere, and the chance to work with a coach that is able to bring the best out of him, could be a sensible option.  Remaining at Vidi doesn’t seem to be a great idea, but if it is the only one, then Gyurcsó really needs to dig in and get his place back.  With his younger colleague Kovács pulling the strings in a more central role, Gyurcsó can reclaim his natural position and perhaps build up a better understanding with his colleague.  However the spectre of Kleinheisler casts a huge shadow on things and the player who was once the future may already be yesterday’s news.

"Runs in straight lines, not really got a football brain and backs out of physical stuff.  Good if the ball's dead, but that's about it. Vidi have a few youngsters who play in that position now who are better options." - Tomasz Mortimer, hungarianfootball.com

E     Disappearing from view