Fortuna Sittard midfielder Mohamed Ihattaren should be playing for Manchester City and has wasted his talent so far.
That’s according to analyst Johan Derksen, [via Voetbal Primeur](https://www.voetbalprimeur.nl/nieuws/1702134/derksen-keihard-over-ihattaren-in-documentaire-de-beproeving-hij-heeft-gefaald.html), who has been left annoyed by Ihattaren’s career path to date.
The website cover comments from the often-outspoken analyst today. He recently appeared on the documentary De Beproeving, which has looked at Ihattaren.
Ihattaren was once of the hottest prospects in Dutch football, coming through at PSV Eindhoven and making his debut for them in the Eredivisie aged just 16-years-old. He also made his debut in the Europa League at just 17-years-old.
74 appearances in the first team followed, with 10 goals and nine assists, before he joined Juventus in 2021. He’s had a difficult time since then, eventually moving to Türkiye with Samsunspor on a free transfer in 2023.
He was released a month later and joined Slavia Praha before then ending up as a free again against in March last year. By September he returned the Netherlands with RKC Waalwijk before joining Fortuna Sittard this year.
_“He should have been a millionaire and played for Barcelona or Manchester City.”_
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Derksen is annoyed about that, believing that things should have been much different for the 23-year-old. In fact, he thinks he should have been at Barcelona or Manchester City.
_“A very slim boy with a graceful gait and explosive legs,”_ he said
_“He would have actually been playing at the absolute top at twenty. He was an incredible talent, something we’d rarely seen in the Netherlands. Within a year, he’s deteriorated to such an extent that he no longer retains any of the top athlete he once was._
_“So far, he’s simply failed. He’s had every opportunity in the world, and he hasn’t capitalized on any of them. He should have been a millionaire and played for Barcelona or Manchester City._
_“But honestly, I’ve given up hope that anything will come of it.” Derksen is anything but optimistic about his future. “That guy has blown his chances so often that I can hardly imagine him taking this one. He has to realize that if this fails, it’s all over.”_