Name: Mike Tresor Ndayishimiye
Age: 23
Position: Left Winger
Nationality: Belgian
Club: KRC Genk
Mike Tresor is a player who many teams slept on and I'm confident enough to say that when teams look at Mike Tresor of today, they'll be kicking themselves.
Tresor had his first real moments in the Anderlecht youth system, but things didn't work out as planned and he found himself joining NEC Nijmegen in The Netherlands. He had an ok first season as a squad player who mainly came off the bench. The following season he joined Willem II on loan before he eventually signed for them for a fee in the region of 500 thousand Euros, and it's at this point Mike Tresor found the place that would allow him to really grow and demonstrate some of the skills that make him so valuable today.
His loan season in 19/20 was inconsistent and for every good moment he had there were 2 or 3 where chances went out the window and were lost in the breeze because the concentration just didn't seem to be there but the mark of a many good young players is turning those missed opportunities into end product and Tresor did just that. In 2020/21 he was vital to Willem II in their fight for survival with 15 goal contributions (4 goals and 11 assists) in the 40 goals Willem II scored. That seen them avoid the relegation playoffs by 1 point.
The summer of 2021 arrived and while there were lots of team looking at Tresor the team that took the bull by the horns and pushed through on were Genk. They paid a fee in the region of 3.5 million Euros to get a player who had a delivery that any striker who had a desire to get in the box would love to have in his team.
His first season was in some ways a mirror of his first season on loan at Willem II. He got most of his game time from the bench and only started 12 of 30 league games that he played in. His numbers were still decent but again the consistency wasn't quite there. He finished the league season with 0 goals and 7 assists.
This season he has followed the path he used at Willem II, he has gone away and worked to improve, and improve he has. 17 league games, 5 goals and 13, yes that is 13 assists so over 1 goal contribution per game....those are unreal numbers. No shock that with Tresor producing this level of work that Genk are comfortably sat on top of the Pro League in Belgium with 10 points and 10 more goals scored than USG in second place.
The theme around Tresor is already very obvious. He can deliver a ball incredibly well, so well that I can honestly say he'd be in the top 10 to 15 players I've ever seen for delivery of a dead ball into the box. He has a technique that see's the ball peak at around 2.2m to 2.5m in height before is seems to drop down to around the 1.9m mark as it arrives in the zone he's aimed for. It's truly a beautiful strike of a ball, not the most powerful but just hit with enough to allow the attackers to get enough contact to redirect or power the ball towards goal. Guys like Onuachu (13 goals), and Paintsil (6 goals) must rub their hands with glee when Genk get a free kick anywhere within 30 yards of goal because they know Tresor will give them something that is worth attacking. He also has another 10 big chances registered as part of Genks attacking statistics, so you are looking at a player who has offered his team 23 good chances to score this season.
One thing that does stand out about Tresor is unlike many other great set piece takers like Beckham, Juninho, and Nakamura he doesn't score many free kicks. His accuracy certainly suggests he should score a few but I think what he maybe lacks is that touch of power in his striking of the ball. His accuracy and weight of ball from a delivery is spot on, but to turn those into goals he might need to add a bit of oomph. The same could be said for his shooting in general as he hits the target around 50% of the time, but while accuracy can be better than power sometimes a player just needs to really slam his laces through the ball. It might lead to a reduction in his accuracy, but if it adds an extra couple of goalsit's a good trade-off.
Tresors overall play is also very good, he isn't just a luxury set piece taker that the Genk team carries. He puts in his shift on the left side for them. Genk usually play a 4231 or a 433 and he puts on his number 11 shirt that so many left sided greats have worn and orchestrates a lot of Genks attacks. There are various colours that paint the picture of what he can do in open play. He's not lightning fast, but he has that good burst over a few yards that allows him to go from a standing start facing up his opponent to being 2 yards past him while the opponent is still turning to see where he went. As with many good wingers he also has a wee trick or two in his locker, he loves a little ball roll to change the angle before he utilises the burst he has. Being right footed on the left side he also uses a lot of feints and subtle touches to tempt defenders into over committing. Last but not least he is happy to drop back from his left-wing slot and almost become a 10 and again he utilises his great ability to weight his passes for attackers to move on to and take in stride or to get first time shots away.
One of the finest examples of his work was in a recent 3-1 win vs Antwerp, a team hwo over the last few seasons have been structurally sound in defensive situations and are second only to Genk for the least amount of goals conceded this season. This game was a Tresor masterclass.
The 1st goal was a result of Tresor drifting inside and picking out a brilliant run from Bryan Henen with a dinked pass over the defence to Bryan Henen who finished brilliantly. It was ruled out for offside but was overturned when VAR correctly rules Henen as onside.
The 2nd was a beautifully whipped corner to the near post from the left side that allowed the powerful Onuachu to attack and direct the ball into the far corner. Again this demonstrated the weight and accuracy that Tresor gets on his deliveries. Attackers aren't straining to get on the ball so they can focus on their connection which allows for a higher chance of hitting the target.
Then we have the hat-trick of assists. A free kick from around 30 yards out and wide on the right side. Tresor again gets that ball up high enough for Onuachu to see it all the way, it just gently dips down to allow Onuachu to meet it around 10 yards out at the near post and direct it in and seal the win for Genk.
Internationally he has played at most of the under-age levels, but he hasn't made the Belgian first team yet, but I'd be very surprised if that first cap alludes him for too much longer.
Mike Tresor in my opinion is a man who has the tools to create chances for any team at any level. He does lack a little bit of scary speed, and little extra oomph of power when he strikes the ball at goal, but his delivery of a ball into the attacking zones is top tier in my book. If he continues to show that he's learning and improving as he has done both at Willem II and Genk then there is no limit to what level he could play at.
I suspect he will have admirers already asking what the situation is for the upcoming window, although I would hope both he and Genk will play out this season and then review things in the summer. I don't think a move from Genk to the very top tier teams is quite there for him, I think based on his history he should continue to make those step-stone moves and ensure he keeps getting 30 games a season under his belt to ensure he maintains a consistent level of progress that could easily lead to the top tier teams in 2 or 3 years.
My thanks for all the support and hope you all enjoy the upcoming World Cup as much as you can.
Ross
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