There was a time when English players abroad were something of a rarity, but in recent years Dortmund alone has been home to some exceptional talent from England. As with his Dortmund teammate, Sancho, he left City as a teenager to sign for the German giants in Jamie Gittens is a right-footed winger who has played on both flanks.
His main attribute is dribbling; he consistently attacks opponents with aggressive ball-carrying. He will often purposely take a first touch that has him facing his direct opponent as soon as possible, in a 1v1. When his opponent jumps out to press him, Gittens then has space to attack, taking the ball as close to the opposing penalty area as possible below. He epitomises the modern winger , often playing as a wrong-footed wide player close to the touchline and looking to move inside.
After receiving, he regularly uses little touches with the laces, carefully pushing the ball forward to creep towards his direct opponent.
He will then drive forward with an aggressive change of speed and tempo coupled with a large touch around, across or beyond his opponent. This change of speed helps him break away from full-backs; when needed, he also uses his upper-body strength to hold off his opponent. By creeping forward with the ball β similar to how Jack Grealish prepares to attack his opponent β Gittens gets into the penalty area frequently, forcing his direct opponent into an uncomfortable defensive position.
Unlike some wingers β such as Grealish β he also has the pace to knock and run, beating his direct opponent over a bigger distance with impressive acceleration.
