Jack Byrne's scintillating stats have him on a par with Manchester City superstar Kevin de Bruyne.
That is according to StatsBomb who have found striking comparisons between the Ireland and Belgium internationals.
Byrne and De Bruyne were clubmates at City for a spell before Byrne moved on to Wigan, Oldham, Kilmarnock and now Shamrock Rovers.
StatsBomb, who track 50,000 players in 70 competitions, have rolled out a new search concept called Doppelgängers: Finding Similar Players.
Their website claims: “The concept is simple: a player is selected as the subject of the search and the algorithm then produces a list of players with similar statistical profiles.
“The subject could be a well-known player, a potential transfer target.”
Based on the data it retains, StatsBomb searched for the Under-25 player whose stats are the closest match for de Bruyne - and came back with Byrne.
The former Manchester City youth star has played far fewer games than De Bruyne this season, but their pass completion rate is similar, with Byrne just edging it.
They are also well matched with their shots per game, successful crosses into the box and dribbles per game.
But StatsBomb added: “Approximating the statistical output of another player doesn’t necessarily suggest similarities in ability, potential or playing style.
“Saying that a certain player matches the statistical output of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, for example, just means they produce a lot of shots, win a lot of aerial duels and are good at retaining possession.
“The results can act as an ideal jumping-off point for a more involved scouting process, providing a list of names to investigate in further detail. “
