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Suarez-esque Enciso shows maturity and leadership
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- Suarez-esque Enciso shows maturity and leadership
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Back in August when I was here waxing lyrical about Julio Enciso after his performance for Ipswich Town on the opening day of the season, I stopped short of saying he reminded me a lot of Luis Suarez.
I told myself it was too early to mention the pair in the same breath. Furthermore, I didn't want to come across as getting carried away.
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Well, I can't stay quiet any longer. The time has now come. Enciso is exceptional, and I can't help but think of his fellow South American the more I see him in action.
Both players have been blessed with remarkable levels of natural talent, skill and technique.
They can also score incredible goals, with Enciso's latest rescuing a point for Ipswich at Hull at the weekend.
Arguably, both players' biggest strength, though, is a burning desire and drive to leave it all out there when it comes to trying to get a result for their team.
A relentless Suarez nearly took a flawed Liverpool side to the Premier League title in 2014, and while Enciso won't be doing similar this season, his presence is a big key to Ipswich keeping hold of their status in the top-flight.
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At just 22, he is a couple of years younger than Suarez was when he arrived on these shores, but in the words of his captain Dara O'Shea, he's shown added maturity and leadership qualities during this second spell in Suffolk.
The Paraguay international's ceiling on both the domestic and international stage is very high. I just hope he's at Portman Road for as long as possible.
Suarez left Anfield for Barcelona after three and a half years and went on to win it all at club level.
Enciso will have similar ambitions, but his main target right now is helping ensure Town get a positive result against Bournemouth on Sunday. I'm wondering if Gary O'Neil may opt to freshen things up for this fixture.
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The manager has told us that he likes having selection headaches, and there is no doubt he has a few.
I suspect Sasa Lukic - if fully fit - will return in midfield alongside Exequiel Palacios, while Zian Flemming will be desperate for more than half an hour up front, having not yet started in the league since his summer move from Burnley.
There is also a dilemma on the left wing, where Jaden Philogene, Jack Clarke and Daizen Maeda are all competing for regular game time.
No extra thinking time is required by O'Neil, at least, when it comes to his first choice at number 10. Right now, Julio Enciso is surely the first name on the team-sheet.
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