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Back in the summer of 2016, Adam Nagy was one of the most sought-after youngsters in European football.

Now, three years later, the slight Budapest-born defensive midfielder finds himself heading out of the club he joined to guarantee first-team football, after featuring just twice for Bologna in 2019.

It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly has gone wrong during his time in Italy. Following his impressive Euro 2016 and interest from Southampton, Marseille and Benfica to name a few, the move to Bologna seemed like the perfect home to develop both technically and tactically under a former Italian national team coach in Roberto Donadoni.

(Image: Getty)

And, in fairness, his first season was reasonably successful. He didn’t exactly set the world alight but after making the leap from the Hungarian league to Serie A, it was always going to take time to adjust to the difference in pace and space that he was accustomed to back in his home country. In the 13 games he missed in Serie A that season, Bologna only managed to win four times, while his pass competition percentage was at 90% all year.

But that tidiness was the main criticism of his game throughout his first season in Italy. Though he rarely gave the ball away, his passing lacked penetration and verticality, and was often labelled as too safe. In the two years since his debut year at Bologna, it’s been a label that’s plagued his progression.

It doesn’t take a trained eye to spot either. One of the hallmarks of Nagy’s rise to prominence was his remarkable ability to move the ball with pace and unerring accuracy with both feet from a deep position, but Bologna fans have rarely seen the Nagy that Hungarians fans have.

Indeed, even this season when he’s rarely featured in domestic football, Nagy’s performances at international level have never wavered and his display against Croatia’s mighty midfield in Hungary’s 2-1 win in March was utterly magnificent.

Which poses the question, if Nagy can still do it with regularity on the international stage, why has he looked so stagnant and bereft at Bologna? The answer seems to simply be confidence.

Confidence shot needed

Nagy is a naturally shy character and throughout his time at Bologna there were reports that he never fully settled or found solace within the north of Italy. On the pitch, he looked timid, he looked scared to give the ball away, while Donadoni, the manager who signed him and entrusted him, was out the door in the summer of 2018.

His replacement Filippo Inzaghi did take to him, and Nagy did start the season well, but Bologna found themselves in the midst of a relegation scrap and, by January, Inzaghi was gone. Under his successor Sinisa Mihajlovic, Nagy played just 114 minutes of domestic football, and by the end of the season the feeling was that the once potentially resplendent marriage had to end.

That he’s ended up at Bristol City is a surprise. There was talk of Trabzonspor, Montreal Impact, loans to Serie B or La Liga, but a move to England was never touted and it’ll be interesting to see how he does.

The physicality in the Championship has lessened over the last few years, though it does still remain one of the world’s most physical leagues and Nagy isn’t particularly robust. His playing style is similar to that of Marco Verratti, if Marco Verratti had the testosterone sucked out of him. He has beautiful balance and he’s fantastic on the ball, and with confidence he’ll dictate the play from deep and get the team playing to his beat, but he’s not a player who you’d find diving into challenges or winning aerial duels.

However, defensively he is super smart and is something of an interception monster when on form, and that’s down to sharp tactical brain and his surprising pace which he utilises brilliantly both in a defence and offensive manner.

In truth, he’s not far off the perfect defensive midfielder when playing with confidence, he can take the team forward and he can protect the defence with aplomb. There was a reason why only three years ago he was linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Lee Johnson and his team just need to press the right buttons to reignite that spark and self-belief. Nagy is a consummate professional with a deep passion for the game, and after the unceremonious breakup in Italy, Bristol City might just end up being the rebound he so desperately needs to revitalise his career.

Tomasz Mortimer is a Hungarian football expert and founder of HungarianFootball.com - He can be followed on Twitter at @TMortimerFtbl