Orejuela knocking on Mallorca's door as Mojica faces injury concern
The young left-back has been training with the first team ahead of Mallorca's clash with Celta Vigo, showcasing his aerial prowess and readiness for the big stage.
Young Luis Orejuela is making a serious case for first-team action at Mallorca, with Colombian left-back Johan Mojica potentially sidelined for Sunday’s crucial La Liga clash against Celta Vigo.
The promising youth academy product has been training with Javier Aguirre’s squad this week at the Antonio Asensio Sports City complex, as Mojica couldn’t complete the recent 1-2 home defeat to Real Betis and was replaced by Toni Lato.
Youth team’s surprise goal machine
Orejuela, standing at just 1.72m tall, has remarkably emerged as the top scorer for Mallorca’s Juvenil A side this season. The attack-minded left-back has netted seven goals across league and cup competitions – with five of them coming from headers, which is proper impressive for a bloke of his stature.
His aerial prowess hasn’t gone unnoticed by the coaching staff, who clearly reckon he’s ready for the step up. The youngster has already been included in the first-team squad once before, making the bench for Mallorca’s 3-2 Copa del Rey victory over Numancia earlier this season.
He’s also been making waves with Mallorca B in the Tercera RFEF Balearic division, where he scored his first goal for the reserve side – naturally with his head – in a comfortable 3-0 win against Platges de Calvià.
The Class of 2007
Orejuela belongs to a promising crop of 2007-born talents at Mallorca who are beginning to make their presence felt around the first team:
- Centre-back Javier Olaizola has already made his senior debut in the Copa del Rey against Atlètic Sant Just
- Bulgarian youth international goalkeeper Niki Strashnikov, who has spent 11 seasons in Mallorca’s academy, also trained with the first team earlier this week
With Mallorca currently looking over their shoulder at the relegation spots, these academy graduates could provide the fresh legs and hunger needed to secure their top-flight status. If Mojica’s injury keeps him out for Sunday’s six-pointer against Celta, don’t be surprised if Orejuela gets the nod to make his La Liga debut. The boy’s got a proper head on his shoulders – quite literally!