{"id":1211737,"date":"2021-07-07T15:25:43","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T14:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1211737"},"modified":"2022-11-24T20:44:28","modified_gmt":"2022-11-24T20:44:28","slug":"luis-enrique-pedri-andres-iniesta-spain","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/luis-enrique-pedri-andres-iniesta-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Luis\u00a0Enrique: Why \u201cunique\u201d Pedri is better than Andres Iniesta was at 18"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spain manager Luis Enrique has lavished praise on Pedri after the nation\u2019s exit from Euro 2020 to Italy at Wembley earlier this week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

La Roja\u00a0<\/i>came up short in a penalty shoot-out with Italy for a place in the final, but it was not for the want of trying on 18-year-old Pedri’s part, who has taken the tournament by storm, playing the full 90 minutes in each of the nation’s six games — and extra-time bar one minute against Switzerland.<\/p>\n

The teenager has completed more final third passes than any other player at the tournament (177), highlighting his forward-thinking approach, while all 55 of his passes in the match against Italy during normal time reached their target, making him a standout candidate for the ‘Young Player of the Tournament’.<\/p>\n

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Following his recent showing against Roberto Mancini’s men, his manager, Enrique, further endorsed his burgeoning talents, believing the Barcelona midfielder is demonstrating a level that not even Andres Iniesta was exhibiting during his formative years at the Camp Nou.<\/p>\n

Enrique said: “It\u2019s unique what Pedri has done. People have not seen anything like this before, never. Andres Iniesta was not like this at 18-years-old.<\/p>\n

“We have another 18-year-old in Ansu Fati to come back too. We have to look after these young players.”<\/p>\n

Cesc Fabregas: What I like is the confidence that he has got<\/span><\/h2>\n

Enrique will have to join the queue of Spaniards heaping praise on the nation’s up-and-coming talent, with former prodigy Cesc Fabregas equally in awe of Pedri’s performances this summer, identifying his “confidence” as a key trait in his progression.<\/p>\n

“He started a little slowly but like the team he is growing into a tournament,” Fabregas told talkSPORT<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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“He played a fantastic season for Barcelona. He is only 18, we cannot forget that. He is a special talent and I think he will be a special talent in the near future<\/p>\n

“What I like is the confidence that he has got. He was always asking for the ball. Okay, sometimes he can be better, sometimes he can make other decisions but I believe that he is showing always for the ball.<\/p>\n

“In difficult moments he is there to be available and this is what I like. It is his personality.”<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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