Sky Sports Scout is where we scour the globe looking for the best talent. Next up is Ricardo Rodriguez.
We run the rule over Wolfsburg full-back Ricardo Rodriguez
Sky Sports Scout is our exciting feature where we scour the globe looking out for the best talent and bring you a report on what we find.
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Latest under our scout's gaze is Wolfsburg's
Ricardo Rodriguez
The scout reports...
This week, we check on the Swiss left-back Ricardo Rodriguez, who has attracted attention from throughout Europe.
Born in Zurich, Rodriguez' father was Spanish and his mother Chilean - but his Swiss nationality has never been in doubt.
He began playing at the highly regarded youth club FC Schwamendingen before joining Zurich's youth system aged just 11.
Rodriguez progressed well and he was given his first taste of first-team football at the age of 16 when he was on the bench for a Champions League clash with Maribor.
But, before he made his debut, he linked up with the Swiss Under-17 squad which went on to win the prestigious Under-17 World title.
Upon his return to Zurich, he made his debut early in 2010 and never looked back, quickly becoming a first-team regular.
At this point Rodriguez was already attracting interest from a number of clubs, but it was German outfit Wolfsburg who snapped him up in January 2012 when they paid over £7million for his signature.
Upon his arrival in Germany, Felix Magath quickly installed Rodriguez as his first-choice left-back and he settled in well - and the likes of Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea were all rumoured to be keeping close tabs on the young Swiss.
However, a bad start to 2012 saw Magath lose his job and interim boss Lorenz-Gunther Kostner was not a huge fan of Rodriguez, preferring Marcel Shafer. But, following Dieter Hecking's appointment, the youngster is back in favour and looks to be getting back to his best.
It will be interesting to see if Rodriguez will again catch the eye of Europe's best. Strangely, for a modern day left-back, he is much more of a defender than most, although he does have decent if not electric pace.
Quite rangy, at first glance Rodriguez looks more of a centre-half given he is nearly six-foot - but that merely aids his defensive capabilities.
The scout says...
Rodriguez is a thoroughly capable performer and, given he is only 20, still has a lot of improvement left in him and regular football in the Bundesliga will see him progress.
A good defender and a big move could very well be on the cards for him sooner rather than later - but whether someone like Chelsea or Barcelona pursue their interest, remains to be seen.
The Scout rating...
Shooting: 6 out of 10
Passing: 7 out of 10
Tackling: 7 out of 10
Heading: 7 out of 10
Pace: 7 out of 10
Vision: 6 out of 10
Current ability: 7 out of 10
Potential ability: 10 out of 10
OVERALL SCOUT RATING:57/80
Current value: £6million
Potential value: £18million
Your opinion...
You have read our opinion of Ricardo Rodriguez - now we want your views. Have you seen Rodriguez in action? Do you agree with our assessment? Do you think he will make it?
Get in touch, either using the form below, email or the scout's Twitter feed - @skysportsscout
