Xavi Simons is well regarded as Paris Saint-Germain’s most coveted prospect.
The 18-year-old talent made promising progress in his PSG run this past season as he made his first career appearance in Ligue 1 with the French powerhouse.
While Simons is yet to feature in a full season with PSG, many still see promising potential with the talent, including former Netherlands U-15 coach Peter Van der Veen.
In speaking to Goal, Van der Veen detailed what he noticed from Simons during his time as the midfielder’s manager at the U-15 level and just why he has what it takes to have a notable career at the professional level.
“He was extremely good for our team,” Van der Veen said. “I loved his work ethic. Often these extremely talented young players are not very hardworking and think they can fend for themselves. He was completely different.
“It was impressive to see how hard he worked. Even though there was already that attention to him at the time. He has the qualities for a professional career.
“When you train as many players as I do, you get an idea of the players. And Xavi has a great career ahead of him.”
This upcoming season will be key for Simons, especially as he is certainly in dire need of more appearances with a first-team.
It will be interesting to see whether the Dutch talent will stay on with PSG next year, or if the midfielder will agree to a one-season loan move.
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