Erick Zambrano is a 16-year-old attacker who plays for the first team of Orense SC. The striker mainly played in the U-19’s this season but was promoted to the first team after the first half of the season. He has had a few sub appearances for the first team of Orense. Zambrano also played for the U-17’s in the semi-finals of the U-17 league. Zambrano also was a squad player at the U-17 World Cup.
He stands at around 1.73m – 1.76m with a strong upper body and leg strength. He generates a lot of power from his legs and holds his own physically against senior-level opponents. Zambrano has good bursts of speed and displays good speed over long distances too. He changes directions quickly and is agile. Zambrano also has great athleticism, footwork and flexibility.
Zambrano has regularly played as a left-winger, but he also made some appearances in the striker position. In this position, he has shown plenty of potential. He has good off-the-ball movement in the box, displaying poaching instintcs and often being in the right place at the right time. He has a good first touch under pressure but can have lapses of concentration. His short passing is very clean but he can improve his long passing. He has good ball-carrying ability due to his good burst, strength on the ball and close control. Zambrano mainly relies on his strength and speed to create separation in isolated 1v1s on the wing. After dribbling past his opponent on the outside, he tries to put in cut-backs but he needs to improve the quality of his cut-backs. Zambrano’s ball-striking from close range and long range is his greatest strength. He can score from close and long range and very often hits the ball cleanly and with accuracy.
The attacker seems to be a very determined striker, displaying a very good work rate and having impressive stamina. Being promoted to the first team at the age of 15, it shows that Orense SC have a lot of confidence in him. Zambrano is a very effective presser, sometimes even recovering possession high up the pitch and creating goal-scoring opportunities quickly after. He had one moment where he lost his cool and kicked his opponent which led to a red card. However, I think it was just an incident rather than a reoccuring theme.
My expectation for 2024 is that Erick Zambrano becomes a regular starter for Orense SC. I think Erick Zambrano definitely is a striker and not a winger. He has the potential to become very good at holding up play due to his strength, good short passing technique and his ability to turn away sharply from his opponent. Zambrano also has very good finishing ability due to his good ball-striking and good poaching instincts. Depending on his development, I think that he has the potential to play for Europa League teams in the top 5 leagues.
Target Scouting 