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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Nathan Bliss

How good is reported Everton transfer target Malcom? We asked Football Manager about the Barcelona winger

Everton have dealt with Barcelona a fair bit in recent seasons, and could be set to do some more business with them if recent reports are to be believed.

The Toffees have been linked with Brazilian winger Malcom of late, with the 22-year-old on the fringes of the first team squad at Camp Nou.

The former Bordeaux player made 24 appearances for Ernesto Valverde's side last season, scoring four times and assisting twice.

But, just how good is Malcom?

We used Football Manager 2019 to find out how he compares with the current Everton squad?

Malcom - FC Barcelona

Malcom during pre-season (David Ramos/Getty Images)

Current Ability: 143/200

Potential Ability: 163/200

Positions: AMR/AML/MR/CAM/ML/ST

Top Attributes (out of 20): Flair (17), dribbling (16), technique (16), acceleration (16), agility (16), off the ball (16), balance (15), pace (15), first touch (15), free kicks (15), vision (15).

(Football Manager 2019)

Malcom is a player with real talent, who is a livewire with the ball at his feet, as demonstrated by his high flair, dribbling, first touch and acceleration attributes.

It's easy to see why the Brazilian isn't a regular goalscorer, as his finishing (12) attribute is nothing to shout about, but he does have good technique, long shots and decisions, so there's no reason why he can't develop into more of a goal threat in the future.

The left-footed 22-year-old has a current ability of 143 out of 200 on Football Manager 2019, to put that into perspective, that's slightly lower than Andre Gomes (146), Richarlison (146) and Bernard (145).

Get all the latest FIFA, Football Manager and general gaming news here.

However, he is a very young player who has an outstanding potential rating of 163 out of 200, which would make him the best player at Everton by far, better than the highest rated Toffees player Lucas Digne (148).

In fact, if Malcom reached his full potential, the game suggests that he can become better than the likes of James Rodriguez (161), Dries Mertens (160), Mesut Ozil (160) and Diego Costa (162).

The cost of buying Malcom might be high, but if Everton could help him to realise his potential, he would be worth every penny, according to Football Manager 2019.

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