axim De Cuyper is a name that AC Milan fans have been hearing since the winter, and might have to get used to hearing a lot more in the coming months.
While waiting for news on the next sporting director and next head coach, La Gazzetta dello Sport report that – in the event of Theo Hernandez being sold, obviously – the next left-back could very well be De Cuyper.
It’s too early to talk about anything advanced, but Milan have contacted his agents and there is a certain approval within the management already. But who is De Cuyper, and how would Milan change with him.
The big premise: De Cuyper is not a young copy of Theo Hernandez (also because a young copy of Theo Hernandez does not exist).
Theo is devastating when he accelerates with the ball at his feet and has a physical impact unknown to many full-backs, while De Cuyper does well especially when he can use his foot for a long ball, a cross, to try and create.
His technique is well above average, as is the use of his weak foot. He is obviously left-footed but he is also good with his right. MDC reaches 5-6 assists in the league every season and at Brugge he takes corners and free kicks, typical of a player with a certain level of technique.
With that left foot, he is also good at control, passing and shooting. With Westerlo on loan he even reached nine goals in a season, while last season he scored five times for Club Brugge.
The impression is that De Cuyper could have been a very useful full-back for Fonseca, more than for Conceiçao, for his ability to move the ball and add value to possession.
Defensively, however, he is in more difficulty, especially because his physique is certainly not that of a marine. The 24-year-old is 1.82m tall but is below 70kg and has never played outside of Belgium.
He has been playing in the Champions League for two seasons but everything needs to be tested in a more intense and physical arena like Serie A. His seasonal data says that he is attentive in one-on-one (79th percentile for dribblers tackles) but is in the average of full-backs for duels won.
The Belgian is different from Theo in this too, therefore. Like Hernandez, however, he has no problems in terms of being versatile within his role given he can form a flat back four, push up as a wing-back and even invert into midfield.
As a character, De Cuyper was described as ‘a quiet guy’. HLN, in Belgium, wrote an article about him, hearing from former team-mates and friends.
There were great stories of board games in retreat and card games in the squad with Simon Mignolet and Hans Vanaken, the two main moral entities of Bruges in recent years: “Wherever we go, we play.”
It seems that Maxim, a terrible loser, puts on a gloomy face for hours in case of defeat and loves that kind of life: quiet, without a passion for show business. “When he broke through, he continued to dress and behave the same way,” said his friend Dries Lambert.
“You will never see him with a Louis Vuitton bag or with headphones when he gets off the bus.” The card dealer in this case could be Milan, and De Cuyper will have to decide whether to stick or twist.
