Graeme Murty delivers exciting Sunderland verdict on Timur Tutierov’s rapid development
Graeme Murty offers an exciting assessment of Timur Tutierov’s exciting progress and what comes next
Graeme Murty says Sunderland forward Timur Tutierov has made “great strides” in recent months and believes there is far more to come from the young winger after another encouraging step in his development.
Speaking after the club’s Premier League International Cup win over Sporting CP, Murty outlined the qualities that make Tutierov such an intriguing talent – and what still needs to improve for him to take the next leap. Murty praised the forward’s sharp, unpredictable movement and ability to carve out dangerous moments, but stressed that the next phase of his development will be defined by his end product.
Speaking after Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Sporting CP in the Premier League International Cup: "I think that because he's so spiky in his movement, he's so sharp, he puts himself in really, really good situations and he's a perfectionist, so he wants everything to be just right. When he gets it right, it looks incredible. There are a couple of goals that he scored, a couple of times where he's unplayable.
"He needs to understand that in his career of football, things are going to be perfect for a very, very small proportion of his career. So if he can accept being really effective and understanding how he's going to get measured, which is goals and assists, he needs to actually orient himself towards that, and we're doing loads of work with him.
"He's really receptive, he's a really open kid, and I agree with you, I think he's made great strides. I don't think he's scraped the surface yet of his potential. I think there's lots to come from him. We all want it right now, but we have to understand he's still a really, really young man, and I think he's got lots to come."
Tutierov’s progress over the past year has been impressive, but Murty believes the next 12 months will be crucial in determining how high his ceiling is. "He could be because we look at his physical attributes, we look at his output, he's a major threat. He understands how to utilise those threats when he's going flat out. So we need to help him understand when we're playing against a low block, what he needs to do better in those instances to bring his attributes to bear. That's on me as his coach.
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"So if you see a marked improvement up to the other improvements, the other level of improvements over the next 12 months in that regard, then I will have counted that as a job well done for me. Currently, I need to work harder and we need to work harder to give him more solutions, and when he has that, he'll be a more rounded player."
Murty also provided brief updates on two other young players. Jenson Jones, who had been expected to feature, remained unavailable. "No, he's still with the first team and training with them," Murty confirmed. As for defender Zak Johnson, the club continues to follow concussion protocols. "Concussion, protocols, yeah. That was a really nasty one, so we're just waiting to get the all clear for him to come back."
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