Hirving Lozano

20     Midfielder     Pachuca     Mexico

Skinny

Hirving Lozano looks like a really promising player. For the last 12 months he has been doing everything right and his progression looks to be right on track as he works on establishing himself in the Pachuca side, and cutting his teeth in the national sides.

Predominantly right-footed Lozano likes to start out on the left wing, cutting inside to either open up space for the overlapping defender or create angles to slip in the players moving forwards ahead of him. It is clear Hirving has constantly been working on his game as he has improved markedly over the last year, especially with his decision making.

Hirving’s arrival into the Pachuca first-team came on the back of an excellent record in under-age football. However, age-group football isn’t always the best indicator about a player’s future success. A 17 year-old that can boss games against fellow 17 year-olds isn’t necessarily able to do the same when they turn 20 and face a midfield of seasoned professionals. So far so good in that respect for Lozano; he doesn’t seen fazed no matter who the opposition is.

2015 has been…

Pachuca haven’t finished the year well but the whole 12 months have been very good for Lozano individually. He kicked things off in 2015 by sharing the Golden Boot at the 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Championships, and in October he capped the year by being awarded the Golden Ball for his performances at the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship.

Last season across 31 league appearances in the Mexican Primera he chipped in with seven goals and another four assists. This season he has continued where he left off and was involved in another seven (four goals and assists) during the first half of the 2015/16 campaign.

What's next?

He just needs to keep playing well and working on his own game; potentially adding a few more goals to his end product, and the rest will take care of itself. His next step up will be to transition into the Mexican senior team and become a regular fixture of that squad.

Lozano is still young and we don’t want to heap too much pressure on the lad this early. He looks capable of playing in any league that he wants. Whether that is Europe, South America or even just with the bigger spenders in Mexico, there is an awful lot of potential in there and he is well on the way to realizing it.

Pachuca won’t be forced into accepting any old offer as players aren’t necessarily free to walk away when their contracts expire in Mexico and they will want a return on their investment in Hirving. The best advice we can give him is to avoid thinking about the move away, as it will only become a distraction and potentially change the minds of potential suitors.

C+     May just be the real deal