VANCOUVER, BC – Much has been expected of Vancouver Whitecaps FC winger Kekuta Manneh since he came to Major League Soccer as an 18-year-old in 2013.
A clear natural talent, Manneh has shown enough flashes of brilliance over the past two seasons to show what a force he could become in the game, and those glimpses of grandeur have many wanting more.
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<b>Manneh speaks to media this week at training</b> |
Manneh put in an electrifying first-half display in Vancouver's 3-1 loss to Toronto on the weekend, giving the visitor's defence a torrid time and perhaps indicating that this year could very well be that eagerly awaited breakthrough year.
“He was a joy to watch in the first half, as was the team,” Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson said of Manneh's performance against Toronto. “If he’d scored three goals on Saturday in that first half then I think people would be saying he’s at that next level. He’s got to continue doing what he’s doing. Continue to work hard, continue to learn every day and get fitter, which he is doing.”
“He’s no different to any other player,” added Robinson, “but boy, when he’s on he’s exciting to watch."
Consistently putting it all together to take him to that next level is now key for both Manneh and the ‘Caps, and you couldn't get a clearer example of that than Saturday's game against Toronto.
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As good as Whitecaps FC were in that first half, they looked like a different team in the second. For Manneh, that may have simply been down to the fact that he’s still making the adjustment from being a game-changing sub to a starter. Saturday's match was only the fifth time that he’s played the full 90 minutes for Vancouver.
“It will take a while to get used to it and get that game fitness going,” Manneh told reporters at training on Monday. “I've worked hard in the preseason and the offseason and I feel really fit. It'll take a few more games to get there to 90 minutes fitness, so it'll take a little while.”
There’s no doubt that Manneh has all the attributes to be a key cog for the ‘Caps this season, but there's no talk from him about this being his breakthrough year. The focus is simply on continuing to improve. He knows what he needs to do to get there and the Toronto game was just the next step.
“I thought [Saturday] was the best performance I've had so far,” Manneh said. “Definitely I need to score goals. I need to score as much as I can. I feel like I'm a good finisher. I have a lot of chances in the games, I just need to put my head down and finish them.”
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