Report: Bayern Munich’s Richard Ajayi, 15, catches the media’s eye

Whenever a youngster plays a level or so up at Bayern Munich’s youth teams, it is a player looking into. See 15-year-old Leonard Prescott playing regularly for the U-19s. Or, last season, 14-year-old Richard Ajayi playing fairly regulalry for the U-17s. The latter was the subject of a report by Kerry Hau, as captured by @iMiaSanMia_GER here and here, where the reporter suggested the youngster could be interesting for Bayern in the future:

Richard Ajayi (15) could be an interesting player for the future at FC Bayern. The left-back from the U-17s has a great profile. He is very fast & delivers very good crosses. With 5 goal contributions, he shows a very strong attacking drive. Ajayi is an exciting player who, based on his natural talents, could certainly be compared to Alphonso Davies—which is, of course, still too early.

Yes, it certainly is too early. He was the exciting youngster in the U-17s last seas0n at 14, but his 16th birthday is approaching soon (on December 24, what a time to have your birthday) and all of a sudden he is not the young hotshot anymore. Narratives and hype can change so quickly.

He is indeed quick, can produce a good cross and has certainly improved his understanding of the game, but he still has defensive deficits. Ajayi will continue to work to improve his game in the academy and fulfill his potential. But, as of now, being a player for the future for Bayern’s first team should be far from his mind.