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Man City sign Enes Unal - we profile the Turkish youngster

Enes Unal

Manchester City have made their first signing of the summer in 18-year-old Enes Unal from Bursaspor, arriving at the Etihad Stadium for a fee believed to be £2million.

Here, we take a closer look at the young Turkish international... Do City have a gem on their hands for years to come?

What's his background?

Unal attracted attention from across Europe after scoring 182 goals in just 100 appearances for Bursaspor's reserve side, along with 24 goals in 25 international games at Under-16 level for Turkey.

At 16 he became the youngest player to score in the Turkish Super Lig, netting two minutes after coming on as a substitute in the 72nd minute of a 1-1 draw with Galatasaray in August 2013. His six other goals for the first-team also came from after coming off the substitutes bench.

He also won his first senior cap for Turkey against Luxembourg in March, playing 33 minutes in a 2-1 win.

And according to the Manchester Evening News, Unal's family are Manchester City fans, and he even tweeted after their dramatic 2012 title win "I can’t believe it, everybody in my house including my mum are M.City fans." That will go down well...

Sergio Aguero scored a dramatic winner for Manchester City against QPR
Image: Sergio Aguero: Scores City's title-winning goal in 2012, an occasion Unal celebrated himself

Will he get a chance?

As with any club in the top four of the Premier League, there will be no guarantees for Unal. 

Among the multi-million pound recruits at Manchester City since Manuel Pellegrini's arrival in 2013 are younger prospects Bruno Zucilini and Zacharias Faour, and the pair give some indication as to how Unal may be utilised over the next one or two seasons.

Argentine midfielder Zucilini, 22, was signed from Racing Club in 2014, and despite playing 30 minutes in City's 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield, was loaned to Cordoba for more first-team experience. 

Swedish striker Faour, now 17, has been getting game time for the City Academy side, and with a long list of potential stars looking to graduate from their sparkling new academy, Unal will not go straight to the top.

Image: Bruno Zuculini: One of few young players bought by Pellegrini since he took over in 2013

But with pressure piled on Pellegrini at the tail-end of last season for an ageing squad - City routinely had the oldest starting line-ups in the Premier League each week - the Chilean may use his third year in charge to give youth a chance.

It would not take much to improve on last term; Jose Angel Pozo was the only player under 22 to get Premier League minutes, and he only got 137.

What type of player is he?

The majority of his Bursaspor first-team goals have been right place, right time scenarios, but the 18-year-old's game has more to it.

Don't be fooled by the striker's lanky stature; he is skillful on the ball and drops deep to collect, as well as having the qualities of a target man. 

Manuel Pellegrini, manager of Manchester City walks out at Turf Moor
Image: Manuel Pellegrini: The City boss was under pressure for his ageing squad last term

City had more shots per game than any Premier League club last season, and if Unal is to get a chance in the coming 12 months, he will not be goal-shy. 

He had a shot on average every 15 minutes for Bursaspor last season, more than any other Super Lig player with over five appearances.

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