Dean Huijsen: Bournemouth's Sergio Ramos-inspired wonderkid proving a bargain signing under Andoni Iraola

Dean Huijsen had his penalty saved in Bournemouth's FA Cup shoot-out win over Wolves last weekend but it was no surprise to those who have worked with him that the 19-year-old centre-back was willing to step up as one of their first takers.

"He has so much ambition and belief in himself about scoring goals," Juan Jesus Gutierrez Robles, his former coach in Malaga's U16s, tells Sky Sports. "He is probably not as good a finisher as he thinks he is, but he has so much confidence and always believes he can do it.

"You see that a lot in strikers but it's very rare in centre-backs and it's not something you can teach. You either have it or you don't. He has had it since he was a kid. It is one of his biggest strengths."

It didn't help him on this occasion, of course, but the game against Wolves was another to highlight the formidable attacking threat of player earning a reputation as one of the best young defenders in Europe. Huijsen had five shots and created three chances in total. He had more touches in the opposition box than anyone else.

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It is not unusual to see Huijsen in the thick of the goalmouth action.

He provided one of the defining images of Bournemouth's season in December when he mimicked the popular 'chill guy' meme, hands tucked into shorts, after heading his first Premier League goal against Tottenham, the team he faces again on Super Sunday. Two weeks after that goal, he marked another headed goal against Manchester United in the same style.

There aren't many teenage centre-backs even playing at the top level across Europe, such are the tactical demands of the position. There are fewer still known for having characteristic celebrations.

But then Huijsen has always been a little different from the rest. And the sensation of scoring is not new to him.

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"He scored 12 goals in half a season playing for our U15s. As a centre-back," adds Robles, a former midfielder known as Juanito who played for Malaga himself before coaching in their academy.

"He was wasting his time with that team, honestly. He was so superior. His mother once rang me saying he was crying because he didn't understand why he was still being asked to play for them instead of playing all his games with us in the higher age groups."

Huijsen did not stay at Malaga long, moving from Spain to Italy to join Juventus aged 16 - his career path, like his goal threat, reflects his ambitious personality - but his scoring feats continued.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Huijsen featured in our best celebrations of 2024

He was prolific in Juventus's academy sides, scoring 10 goals in the 2022/23 campaign, including three in six games in the UEFA Youth League, the U19 equivalent of the Champions League. He later found the net twice in 14 senior appearances on loan at Roma.

"They are not just goals from set-pieces," adds Juanito. "If you watch the goals he scored for Juventus and Roma, you see there are a lot which came from outside the area."

The last of them, scored for Roma against Frosinone a few months before his move to Bournemouth in July, saw Huijsen dribble from the halfway line and curl in a stunning effort from outside the box.

He is yet to produce anything quite that spectacular for Andoni Iraola's side but his total could easily be higher than two.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Analysing the teenagers who have impressed in the Premier League this season

He was denied by a contentious VAR call against Wolves on Saturday. He hit the bar against Brentford earlier this season and has also gone close against Everton and Fulham.

"He has the intention to score and that's what helps him do it," says Juanito. "Of course, he is tall as well. But being tall often means you have a harder time because you are marked by the best defenders. Dean just has so much determination that it doesn't matter.

"I am sure there will be years when he scores seven or eight, and there are very few centre-backs in the world capable of doing that. Sergio Ramos was one. Fernando Hierro scored a lot for Real Madrid as well. But there are very few."

Huijsen idolised Ramos growing up and he is certainly known to Real Madrid. At Malaga, Juanito recalls a scrum of interest from Spain's top clubs before his move to Juventus. "He stood out so much. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Villarreal… they all wanted him."

Image: Huijsen pulled out his 'chill guy' against Man Utd in December

But Huijsen and his family felt a move to Italy offered a better opportunity to develop his defensive game. "He decided to take a different step and I think it was a good decision," adds Juanito.

Now it is Bournemouth who are feeling the benefits.

Pinto helps secure bargain signing

Jose Mourinho, Roma's head coach during his loan spell there, described Huijsen as one of the best prospects in Europe and he made a similarly strong impression on Tiago Pinto, Bournemouth's president of football operations, who was working as Roma's general manager at the time.

Image: Huijsen earned positive reviews for his performances at Roma

Pinto, like Mourinho, was struck by Huijsen's maturity, in addition to his many other qualities. His first-hand experience of working with him gave Bournemouth invaluable insight, especially given the body of work on which to judge him at senior level was still limited.

The Amsterdam-born Huijsen had featured regularly for the Netherlands' youth teams before switching to Spain, who he has represented at U21 level. But he had only made one previous top-level appearance for Juventus before his 14-game spell at Roma.

He is one of the highest-quality prospects in European football at this age level. He will be a great footballer in the future.

Despite his relative inexperience, Huijsen was able to adapt swiftly at Bournemouth, quickly coming to look like one of the signings of the season at an initial £12.8m. He is regarded as pleasure to work with by team-mates and coaches and his maturity and goal threat are only parts of his offering.

Image: Huijsen has impressed in and out of possession this season

Huijsen ranks third in the Premier League for interceptions per 90 minutes, reflecting his ability to read danger, and sixth for blocks. His forward-thinking passing, off both feet, and over short and long distances, has proved another asset. "I can't think of any centre-backs who use both feet as well as him," says Juanito.

Bournemouth were impressed by his ability to impose himself defensively even against much older players in Serie A and he has carried the same aggression into the Premier League, shouldering even greater responsibility since Illia Zabarnyi's suspension left him as their most experienced available centre-back.

Before all this, though, they had to convince him of the merits of joining a club with a relatively low profile. They put their case together in a presentation conducted virtually during negotiations, outlining the front-footed playing style implemented by Iraola and Huijsen's suitability to it.

Image: Huijsen has been used as Bournemouth's left-sided centre-back

They also explained how they planned to use him, although that process was accelerated after fellow centre-back Marcos Senesi had to have surgery on a thigh injury in November.

Since then, Huijsen has started 17 consecutive games in all competitions, most of them alongside the similarly impressive Zabarnyi. Aged 19 and 22 respectively, they form a centre-back pairing six years younger than the Premier League average. Not that you would know it to watch them. Bournemouth have only lost three of the 17 games they have started together.

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Suitors are sure to emerge for Huijsen. There have already been reports of interest from Real Madrid and Liverpool. But he has a six-year contract at the Vitality Stadium and the capacity for further growth is clear. Bournemouth are fighting for a European finish and sit only three points behind fifth-placed Chelsea.

Regardless of what happens next, Huijsen's success, together with that of other signings such as Milos Kerkez, Zabarnyi, Dango Ouattara and Alex Scott, has already enhanced the club's attractiveness as a destination for young, high-potential players.

A defender built for the elite

Still a month shy of his 20th birthday, Huijsen is about as high-potential as they come.

He has talked up the importance of the defensive education he received in Italy. Mourinho was an influential figure and he has made even bigger strides under Iraola. Ultimately, though, he and his family have been the biggest drivers behind his journey to this point.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Andoni Iraola gave his verdict on Liverpool 'copying' Bournemouth's corner routine

"His physical and technical attributes were obvious at Malaga but what stood out most about him most to me was the determination and ambition he had about being a footballer," says Juanito. "I had rarely seen that level of determination in a player.

"It is not just that he wants it, it is that he has done absolutely everything he can to achieve it. He trains better than anyone, he prepares better than anyone, he corrects his mistakes better than anyone."

The role of his parents has been key. "His father spared no expense to help his son become a footballer," adds Juanito. "He bought a camera to record him and analyse his mistakes. Everything. He worked so hard but his family prepared him well from a young age."

Throughout, the same level of care and attention to detail has gone into choosing his clubs. "The normal thing for a kid here would have been to join Madrid or Barcelona but he was clear that he wanted to go to Italy to improve his defending," adds Juanito. "The next thing was to play, so he went to Roma.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player In November on Monday Night Football, Jamie Carragher and Dimitar Berbatov explained how Andoni Iraola masterminded his side's impressive victory over Man City

"A lot of people here didn't understand why he chose Bournemouth after that but that is only because they are not well-known. I think it was a good decision because if you look at his game now, the only thing he maybe lacks is speed. And the only place where he can add that kind of speed to his game is the Premier League.

"He could handle the speed of the Italian league. He could have handled the speed of the Spanish league. The Premier League was the one place where he might suffer and therefore improve."

As it happens, Huijsen has hardly suffered at all. At 19, there is of course room for improvement in certain areas. But he has taken the immense challenges of Premier League football in his stride, his importance to Iraola clear in the number of minutes he has played.

Image: At 19 years and 235 days, Huijsen became Bournemouth's youngest Premier League scorer with his goal against Tottenham

His close family continue to support him having joined him in England. His father Donny, himself a former player in the Netherlands, and mother Mascha attend every Bournemouth game.

Eight months on, the signing has worked out brilliantly for all parties and his ceiling continues to get higher. "He now looks like a player who has everything, but remember he is still a child," says Juanito. "I have no doubt that he will be one of the best centre-backs in the world for the next 10 years."

It is a view shared by many, at Bournemouth and beyond. Expect plenty more goals and eye-catching performances to follow.

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