Founder of the Right to Dream Academy, Tom Vernon, has likened Kamaldeen Sulemana’s talent to that of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr and Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku, asserting their skill sets are closely matched despite the latter two currently outpacing the Ghanaian winger in career progression.
Sulemana, 22, faced setbacks in his development last season due to recurring injuries, limiting him to just 25 league appearances, with a mere ten starts.
Despite this, he managed three assists but failed to score for Southampton as they secured a swift return to the Premier League.
In his early career at Nordsjaelland and Rennes, Sulemana was hailed as one of the brightest prospects globally.
Despite recent challenges, Vernon remains optimistic about Sulemana’s future, emphasizing that talent and potential endure beyond temporary setbacks.
"I think, you know, it's the old expression, form is temporary, and class is permanent," he told Joy Sports.
"And for Kamal, like if you watch Jeremy Doku, if you watch Vinicius Jr training, their potential compared to Kamal, talking about a player in the same ballpark, obviously in certain phases of their development, they pushed a little bit.
"But, you know, with modern day, most footballers will still be playing when they're 36, 37."