Yaimar Medina is another youth academy graduate of Sangolqui-based Independiente del Valle. The Ecuadorian is 18 years old and was born in Eloy Alfaro, Ecuador. He is a versatile player, having played in all left-sided positions and right-winger. The youngster has played 18 matches for the first team of Independiente del Valle so far, mainly as a left wing-back in a 3-4-2-1. In the Ecuadorian national under 20 team, Medina mainly played as a right-winger in the Sudamericano under 20.
The Ecuadorian stands at around 1.78 meters with a strong build. He physically dominates opponents in ground and aerial duels. Medina is very positively aggressive in ground duels, overwhelming his opponent and recovering possession. He has great jumping reach and timing in aerial duels. Medina is very quick on the first few meters and holds that speed well over long distances. He needs to develop his stamina, but that will happen over time. Medina is very athletic and dynamic.
Yaimar Medina has excellent technique; he receives well out wide near the touchline and is very press-resistant. Medina has very solid passing over short and medium distances and often plays a forward pass, even when it is not the easiest option. He maintains his composure under pressure. Medina is skilful in tight spaces and passes his opponents with ease. His timing in attacking 1v1s is very good.
Sporadically, Medina’s finishing is slightly uncontrolled. However, Medina has excellent passing, crossing and shooting techniques. He is very dangerous from set-pieces and always poses a threat. The young Ecuadorian is a very smart player in the attacking phase. Medina times his runs very well and does well to create space for his teammates. He likes to make inverted runs and spots space well. Medina often gets into good positions to cross or shoot.
Defensively, there is some work to do for Yaimar Medina. He sometimes struggles with his decision-making about whether to step up or stay in the defensive line. As a result, he occasionally is in no-mans-land. He can solve a lot of his positional problems with his speed, and with experience he will get better at defensive positioning. Medina, mainly because of his athleticism and speed, is quite decent in defensive 1v1 duels, but sometimes he marks his opponent on the wrong side.
All by all, I think Yaimar Medina is a very exciting left wing-back. He needs to get a lot better at defending, but I am confident he could work on this in the upcoming months. Medina is very athletic, strong, has excellent technique, is press-resistant, has good crossing ability and vision in the final third. I hope he will become an option for Jong Ajax this summer. If coached well, Medina could be moulded into a left-back competing with Pervis Estupiñan in the Ecuadorian national team.
What are the chances he moves to Europe this summer? Do you think Jong Ajax is the best option for him or moving to a league like Belgium?
Hi Brian. I hope he will make that step because he is ready for it. He would probably be better off at a club like KAA Gent where he could play in the left wing-back position rather than left-back.