Rhys Walters is a 19-year-old right-footed central midfielder who often plays on the left of a midfield three, where he is given the license to press high in more of a box-to-box role in Port Vale’s 3-5-2 formation.
Walters is already very athletic in profile, standing at 1.76 m, he has longer legs and broad shoulders, strong upper body strength and despite a somewhat heavy run style has good acceleration, strong levels of pace and growing stamina for box to box type runs, whilst also showing some ability to compete in aerial duels, using his physical power and jump reach even from a stand, but can improve on the timing and want to attack the ball over just disrupting his fellow dueller.
In possession, Walters makes up for a current lack of pass range with sharp intentions to play shorter forward ground passes, but shows some rawness technically and can lack concentration with his passing and initial touch.
Despite this rawness, Walters strongest attribute is his ability both to carry the ball forward and shift past a tackle, using both feet to quickly change his direction and strong techniques including a stiff arm and getting his body across the tackler early to ride the challenge and drive his side forward, in a combination of his technical and power, but can become more efficient and take less touches to become even more of a threat.
He currently looks most comfortable in more of a free role with license to get forward, where he shows more intent and quicker reaction to press and run into space over track and recover, where his initial reaction can be much slower, although physical strengths mean he can still recover to a good standard.
Walters scans well when his side is in possession, can improve on the speed of his movements into space, but often drops deeper away from his marker, scanning well, and shows strength and technical skill to hold off the tackler and often roll them to then face the play. Going forward, Walters continues to show awareness of space in the left channel, making runs from deep often behind the full back and finding space outside the box.
Despite a stiff ball strike technique, Walters is capable of lower driven strikes towards the corners that have not provided goals just yet, but show potential and often create rebound situations for other attackers.
Walters’ natural intention is to press high, covering ground quickly and looking to force errors. He shows understanding and is often aware of the opposition free man, which he jumps on quickly or instructs others to mark as he instead presses high. Despite this, his defensive style is currently ball-oriented, often going for the ball over defending space, tackling from non-goal side positions, or attempting to cut corners by jumping too early and leaving space behind.
Rhys Walters already has the physical profile to play at a higher level and has shown strong potential despite limited minutes and experience in first team football. Further improvement on his efficiency, level of technical execution, and defensive awareness will make him a more well-rounded midfielder who is capable of playing several midfield roles. He could attract interest from playoff-chasing EFL Championship to Bottom 5 Premier League sides in the near future.
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