Theo Leoni taking his chance with both hands at Anderlecht | OneFootball

Last season, Theo Leoni managed just six appearances for Anderlecht, with one of those being a start. At the age of 23, the midfielder could have been forgiven for giving up on playing for Anderlecht and moving to a club where he could get regular football. This would have been even more apparent when Anderlecht signed a whole host of central midfielders, including Thomas Delaney and Mats Rits.

However, Leoni has stayed, and so far this season he has been one of the sides best players. He has already played more games than last season, featuring in all 10 of the Mauves league games. What’s more, he has started eight of those nine games. What the young midfielder has done is given head coach Brian Riemer no reason to drop him. He has scored once, while also creating five assists. This has seen him not just lead the side in terms of assists, but also sit joint top of the league wide assist making tables alongside Union St Gilloise midfielder Cameron Puertas.

So far this season, Leoni has created 18 chances, with an xA of 1.69. His passing accuracy has been good, up at 84%, while he has also won 75% of his tackles. Anderlecht fans have always enjoyed seeing players come through the academy. However, very few have had to wait as long as Leoni has to make their mark. Clearly he is a late bloomer, but the Anderlecht fans will be glad that the club kept hold of him as long as they did.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson