Alexis Cantero is a left-back for Guarani and Paraguay under 20. The Paraguayan youth international has just turned 20 making him one of the older players to play at the Sudamericano u-20. Cantero impressed for both Guarani under 20 and Paraguay under 20 and I think he could be an interesting late-bloomer. Cantero made his debut for the first team of Guarani last season and played three matches when many youth players got the chance to get some minutes in for the first team.
The left-back stands at around 1.76 meters with a slim to normal build. Alexis Cantero is very quick on the first meters and maintains that speed over long distances. He has the drive to get forward and shows excellent stamina, always joining the attack with late runs and running up and down the wing for 90 minutes. Cantero is not the strongest in physical duels, but holds himself well because of his aggressiveness and persistance. Cantero has very good footwork, balance and close control while dribbling. He is capable of dribbling past a few players in small spaces before crossing the ball into the box or looking for a quick combination in the final third. Cantero has a good first touch and his passing into attack is consistent and good. His crossing technique is decent but his delivery can be improved. The Paraguayan youth international has really good changes of direction. He has a decent positional sense when Guarani or Paraguay under 20 have settled possession.
Defensively, Cantero sometimes seems slightly vulnerable as he occasionally fails to cut passing lanes. The left-back is pretty decent defensively in 1v1 duels, especially because he is quick and agile but he needs to become more tenacious and persistant. As he has a drive to get forward, he likes to step up to recover possession high up the pitch before joining the attack and transitioning quickly from defending to attacking. This makes him a really dangerous player on the counter-attack when he does recover possession, but he sometimes loses duels because he is not strong enough.
Even though there is a lot of room for improvement at the age of 20, I think that Alexis Cantero could be a smart pick-up for lower-level leagues in Europe. He needs to develop his physique, while also improving on his defensive ability and final pass. However, he is a very dynamic left-back with good technical ability. Cantero should play as a wing-back in a team that plays in a three-at-the-back formation. Alexis Cantero has the potential to play for a UEFA Conference League level team in the lower leagues in Europe.
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