Attila Szalai: Things to know about the Hungarian defender

After a solid showing at Euro 2020 with Hungary, Attila Szalai's career looks to be on the up.

The Fenerbahce centre-back is attracting interest from across Europe, with Atletico Madrid and Juventus two of many to be chasing his signature, but CNNTurk believe that it is Chelsea who have won the race for the highly rated 23-year-old.

Here's all you need to know about him.

1. He's a left footed centre-back

Centre-backs who are strong on their left foot are all the rage these days, and Szalai fits the bill perfectly.

However, he hasn't always had the chance to make the most of his skills on the left side of defence, playing at the heart of back threes for both club and country.

Because of his 6'4 frame and ball-playing abilities, many managers prefer to use Szalai at the heart of their system, and understandably so.

2. He's a forward thinking defender

To make it in the modern game, defenders need to be comfortable with the ball at their feet. Szalai takes that to the extreme.

Playing in a back three affords Szalai some attacking freedom and he loves to exploit that with a cross-field pass or a quick ball forwards into midfield. He starts most of Fenerbahce's attacks with his vision.

If a pass isn't on, Szalai doesn't panic and is instead brave enough to step out of defence and charge forwards on runs. The 23-year-old is comfortable in the final third, but don't expect him to be an elite playmaker or goalscorer when he gets there.

3. He's known as the Hungarian Van Dijk

As a tall, agile defender with a keen eye for a pass, it should come as no surprise that Szalai has been compared to Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk.

Szalai has even confessed to seeing Van Dijk as the best defender around and admits to modelling his game on the Dutchman.

"To me, Van Dijk was and still is the best defender in the world before he got injured," he told Fenerbahce's official website. "I love watching footage of him.”

4. He's been billed as the future of Hungary

A quick glance at Szalai and you'd think he's more of an old-school centre-back who just wants to wrestle and head the ball. While he loves doing that, he's far more than just a 6'4 monster.

He's not giving Usain Bolt a run for his money anytime soon, but Szalai can hold his own against most forwards in a race and isn't scared of anyone one-on-one.

With that agility, Szalai likes to vary the way he defends. He's happy to push up high and bank on his recovery pace but is also smart enough to know when he needs to sit back and wait for the trouble to come to him.

9. His nickname is 'Sancho'

When you watch Szalai play, you might hear his teammates call him 'Sancho' - a nickname which has nothing to do with Manchester United man Jadon.

It's actually a name which was given to his father, also called Attila, who played for Hungary in the late 1980s.