There has often been a debate surrounding the best position for Chelsea’s Ethan Ampadu.
Currently on loan at Sheffield United, Ampadu has the ability to play well in a number of roles across the pitch.
During his short career so far he has been used as a full back, centre back, defensive midfielder, and a centre midfielder, proving his valued versatility.
Whilst it is great to be able to offer yourself up in a number of roles, it can also be quite important to nail down and perfect one role in particular.
For his national side Wales, Ampadu has largely played as a holding midfielder under Ryan Giggs. Whilst at Sheffield United he has been used as part of the back three playing right centre back, but more recently he has been moved into midfield playing in the deeper role.
United boss Chris Wilder has revealed where Frank Lampard sees Ampadu playing, and unsurprisingly, that is as a holding midfielder.
As reported by The Metro, Wilder said:
“When you’ve got the likes of Sander and Ethan, the way they get about the park, it gives you a little bit more security.
“I thought Ethan’s performance was outstanding. I know the manager at Chelsea sees him as a sitting midfield player.
“He obviously played at right centre-half at Leipzig and in the middle of a back three as well in his time there, so they saw him in that position.
“But I thought both of them were outstanding last Saturday night [in midfield]. But mobility really is key. They’ve got to be able to handle the football, they’ve got to be able to tactically put themselves in good positions – which they both did for a young age.
“They’re both learners, they’re both very enthusiastic about learning, about getting better, they’ve got a huge appetite for that.
“But the game is moving on and it is a mobile game and players have to get about the park, and we’ve certainly got players that can do that and certainly those two possess those qualities.”
