Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have both made highly complimentary assessments of Abdul Fatawu – including a comparison to Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka – for his latest impact at Leicester City.
The Foxes found themselves on the brink of defeat at Southampton after the hosts went 2-0 up. However, goals from Facundo Buonanotte and Jamie Vardy either side of a red card for the hosts lifted confidence, all leading to a 98th-minute winner from Jordan Ayew.
But instrumental in the second-half comeback was Fatawu’s 59th-minute introduction. Five minutes later he had added an assist to his record, then struck the bar in the move that ended with the penalty awarded for the equaliser. The teenager then left the ball in injury time, allowing Ayew to hit his winning strike.
Reacting to the result on The Rest is Football podcast, Shearer first revealed Lineker’s reaction to discovering Steve Cooper had only afforded the influential winger a place on the bench.
He began: “Just to prove a point when we’re talking here, in the afternoon when the teams were announced you were like: ‘Why’s he not playing Fatawu, he’s a great player. He’s one of our best players.’ Then he came on and made a huge difference, you were like: ’I told you so. He should have been playing from the start. See how great he is’.”
Simply in awe of the player, Lineker responded: “I’ve watched him a lot. I watched him last season when he was actually on loan, I mean the kid’s really special.
“He’ll beat people, he’s quick, he’ll take people on, he’ll cut inside and bend one in the top corner, he’ll go down the outside and cross the ball. He’s a little like Saka in that way. I’m not going to say he’s as good as Saka – not yet – but he’s only 19. He’s got an incredible work ethic, got a lovely personality. He’s a real character and everyone at Leicester knows that.”
The attacking quartet that Cooper went with on Saturday was comprised of goalscorers Buonanotte and Vardy, plus Stephy Mavididi and Bilal El Khannouss. After his initial disappointment at not seeing Fatawu start, Lineker has told the manager his best options.
“When you’ve got Mavididi one side, Vardy in the middle and Fatawu on the right – with Bounanotte kind of floating – that is a forward line,” said the Foxes legend. “I think the kid’s going to be a really good player.”
Shearer added: “You can only leave someone out for so long when they come on and put in a performance like that. That’s what he’s got to keep on doing.”
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