With 16 assists and six goals this season, Mike Tresor is well and truly dominating the Belgian Pro League. The left-winger’s form has meant that the departures of key players from past seasons in Junya Ito and Theo Bongonda has been barely felt. Under new manager Wouter Vrancken, Genk have scored an incredible 60 goals in 24 games. Many believed that Tresor’s form to start the season should have seen him included in the Red Devil’s World Cup squad. After their dissapointing campaign in Qatar, many will be hoping that new head coach Domenico Tedesco will give Tresor a debut.
In a way, it would be a good signal of intent from Tedesco to include Tresor in his first squad. It proves to young Belgian players that their performances in the domestic league do not go unnoticed. The only player from the Pro League who has gotten regular game time is Club Brugge’s talisman Hans Vanaken. However, even as his performance levels have dipped he has still been called up over the likes of Tresor and his Genk teammate Bryan Heynen.
There is an age old debate about whether an international head coach should pick on form or stick with those he knows. In many ways this argument would diminish what Tresor has done this season. His 16 assists deserve attention, as he has shown an ability to create with FotMob having his chances created at 71. Rather than waiting for him to move to a bigger league, Tedesco should reward this form with a call up.
At 23-years-old, Tresor fits into the timeline of the new, younger generation that need to be given their chance ahead of an ageing ‘Golden’ generation. The word coming out of the Belgian FA has been that Tedesco and Franky Vercatueran want to bring in the new generation. Tresor may well be the test case to see how serious they are.
GBeNeFNÂ |Â Ben Jackson
