Former Northern Ireland international Alex Bruce has claimed that Todd Cantwell’s main attribute is his ball carrying.
When asked about his thoughts on Liverpool’s reported interest in Cantwell, Bruce likened him to Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish and Leicester City’s James Maddison – saying that he plays with flair and is a prospect.
Speaking to Football Insider, Bruce said:
One thing that he gives you is his ball carrying.
He is a little bit like Jack Grealish – that type of player.
He plays with flair like a James Maddison. Of course, he has some way to go before he is at their levels but it is his first season in the Premier League and he has done OK.
He has caught people’s eye and everybody is talking about him.
Cantwell is young, so he is definitely a prospect. It would not surprise me if a club like that takes a punt on him.
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Whilst his goalscoring does stand out, with six league strikes, his ball carrying, as Bruce mentions, is also impressive. Cantwell excels at taking the ball in on the left and driving Norwich up the pitch, whether that means dribbling past an opposition player to open up space to run into or simply sprinting into areas before offloading the ball at the right time.
He takes the ball into promising positions and finds teammates in space between the thirds, before making clever movements to pick up pockets ahead of the back four in order to link the play.
This can help to create openings in the wide areas, allowing the fullbacks – like Sam Byram or Jamal Lewis – to make overlapping runs down the left to cross.
This could be welcomed at Liverpool due to the importance of their fullbacks in attacking play.
If Cantwell lined up on the left for the Reds and played the same way, he could create more opportunities for Andy Robertson to whip crosses in on the left and give Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane more chances in the box.
This is why his ball carrying, as Bruce says, could be a big asset for him in regards to joining a top-six club like Liverpool.
