Ian Holloway compared Botan Ameen to Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs with what the youngster can offer to Swindon Town.
Although he is yet to start a League Two game, Ameen gave fans plenty to get excited about against Doncaster Rovers as he played a big role in Danny Butterworth’s goal before getting the assist for Joe Westley’s equaliser after coming on at the break.
That was the 17-year-old’s fifth League Two appearance of the season and having shown glimpses of his talent in the previous cameos, he made a big impact after being given a longer period on the pitch.
Holloway said that Ameen’s ability to run at people was like what Giggs offered for Manchester United in the 1990s and 2000s.
He said: “Players like that are very hard to find, he floats so beautifully with the ball and I believe that he could do it against anybody.
“He is only 17 and he is not eating during daylight hours at the moment [as he is observing Ramadan], maybe that is why I didn’t start him as he has been training ever so well.
“I believe in that and I enjoy watching people run at other players, I think that it is wonderful to see.
“In my era you had Ryan Giggs, who was absolutely outstanding, he won 13 Premier League titles turning people inside out and before that Man United had [Andrei] Kanchelskis.
“So it is wonderful to see [from Ameen] and I want to encourage that and Danny [Butterworth] has done it as well down this side.”
Holloway added that he felt the Iraq youth international had made quite the statement with how he terrorised Doncaster down the right flank.
He said: “When you have young people around you who are giving that, then you need the opportunity to keep giving them ball, and for ten minutes we were unplayable. Then we stopped giving it wide and I just don’t understand sometimes.
“I saw Paul Scholes talking the other day and he said ‘We never complicated it, if someone was good then we would keep giving them the ball.’
“We stopped doing what got us back in it, which was giving it to the wide men, sometimes it is as simple as that: put people on who can run with it and see where you can go.
“We have been missing Aaron Drinan and then all of a sudden Botan gets out there and does that. Wow. What a statement he made today.”
