Aaron Essel is a footballer who operates at “100 miles per hour”, according to St Johnstone manager, Craig Levein.
But the Perth boss has praised his young midfielder for bringing much-needed calm to the middle of the Rugby Park pitch in the recent victory over Kilmarnock.
Levein has high hopes for his 18-year-old summer signing.
And Sunday’s controlled performance, with positional awareness allied to ball-winning ability, showed that Essel is taking advice on board.
“It wasn’t a 10 out of 10 performance at Kilmarnock but it was a composed and less frenzied one,” said Levein.
“That’s what we needed.
“He was in the right positions and managed the game well.
“One of his jobs is to get the ball back for us but he can do so much more than that.”
Brain and muscle
Levein, who snapped up Essel after bringing him from Ghana to Scotland for a trial at the end of last season, added: “He looks like a man but he’s just a kid.
“He’s not mature yet as a footballer. He’s a wee bit away from that.
“It will be a case of giving him game-time wherever we can. That’s why he was in the team with the kids at East Fife (in the SPFL Trust Trophy).
“As an athlete, his stride is enormous.
“And when he jumps in the air you wouldn’t believe how high he can get.
“He wants to do extra running after training. Everything he does is at 100 miles per hour.
“He’s all muscle.
“But football’s not all about physicality. It’s about using the brain as well.
“There’s a raw enthusiasm which can sometimes spill over into aggression, which we’ll need to be careful with.
“He’s learned a couple of lessons already, hopefully.
“There’s no badness in him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without a smile on his face.”
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