Ethan McGee is a 21-year-old, Northern Irish right back who currently plays for Linfield having signed for them in January of 2023 after impressing at Dungannon Swifts. Under current manager, David Healy, McGee lines up as a right-back in a 4–2–3–1 system or as a wing-back in a 3–5–2 formation, additionally, he has also been utilised in a midfield role for Healy’s side on various occasions.
Player profile
- Position: Right Back/Right Wing Back
- Secondary Position: Defensive/Central Midfield.
- Nationality: Northern Irish
- Date of Birth: 23/08/2002 (21 Years Old)
- Current Club: Linfield
- Preferred Foot: Right
- Height: 183 cm
Physical Profile:
He has a very impressive level of stamina which means he can cover the ground very effectively, this means McGee proves to be a great asset when making recovery runs to provide extra defensive cover. Furthermore, he frequently demonstrates that he has an excellent burst of acceleration which he can sustain over mid-longer distances, again this is useful in recovery and allows him to provide defensive depth for his team.
Defensive Phase:
In the defensive phase of play, McGee is a very proactive and aggressive player. He likes to press the opponents high up the pitch, preventing them from playing out, this really allows his athleticism to shine through.
We can see here, that McGee looks to put pressure on the opponent receiving the ball. This forces the opposition to play backwards and provides his teammates with time to engage in their press, inviting the opposition into Linfield’s pressing traps and giving them a better opportunity to recover possession in the attacking third. McGee himself made over 30% of his recoveries in the opposition half during last season.
This minimises the time the opposing team has to organise their play and can lead to immediate scoring opportunities for Linfield as they can force the opposing team into making hurried decisions, increasing the likelihood of errors such as misplaced passes.
Here, we can see McGee’s forward-thinking defending in action once again. He is always willing to step out of the defensive shape to put the opposition under pressure to make blocks and interceptions. In this instance, he recognises the opponents are building an attack and steps in to make an interception. Whilst this is proactive, it is worth noting the space he leaves in behind which could have been exploited by the opposition if they had willing runners to attack in the channel.
The 21-year-old averaged 3.98 interceptions per 90 during the 2023/24 season and 0.25sliding tackles per 90. This shows how McGee is very much a defender who prefers to stay on his feet to use his positioning and physical strength to put opponents under pressure rather than going to ground and giving away needless fouls.
In this instance, we can see how McGee uses his body orientation to position himself between the opponent and the ball, facilitating an intelligent recovery and preventing the opposition from building an attack.
Good body positioning demonstrates McGee’s tactical awareness and understanding of the game. It allows him to maintain the shape and structure of the defensive line, ensuring cohesion and effective coverage of space. This positioning helps in coordinating with other defenders and midfielders, creating a unified defensive front that is harder for the opposition to break down.
There are occasions where it is a little too easy for opponents to bypass McGee, as demonstrated in this clip above. McGee perhaps doesn’t anticipate the wide player receiving the ball quickly enough therefore he is slow to step out and put him under pressure, giving the opponent the opponent the chance to inject a burst of acceleration and move the ball away from him.
His reactions can sometimes be slow at certain points during the game which just provides the opposition with the opportunity to show him a clean set of heels or move the ball swiftly. Whilst this is not a major flaw in McGee’s game, it would be beneficial if he improved in this area as it would limit any opponent’s opportunities to build an attack down Linfield’s right side.
Finally, we can see that after regaining possession for his team, Ethan McGee is able to use his intelligence to play progressive passes into midfield in order to kickstart the Linfield counterattack.
Overall, McGee is a very solid defender with some very good physical strength as he won 61.9% of his defensive duels per 90. He also demonstrates very good tactical intelligence in regard to his positioning and ability to use his body orientation to recover possession.
Attacking Phase:
In this section, we will focus on how the Linfield man performs in the attacking phase of play.
As mentioned previously, McGee has been utilised in a midfield role on various occasions for Linfield one of the reasons for this can be seen above. As the clip displays, McGee is capable of receiving the ball, turning and then launching a long pass upfield looking for runners in the wide areas.
He does reasonably well to hold off the opponent who is putting him under pressure and get his head up to assess the situation unfolding in front of him. Digging into the numbers, McGee averaged 33.75 passes per 90 with an accuracy rating of 77.5%.
When playing as a right back/ right wing back, McGee likes to get forward as much as possible to offer an outlet out wide. Linfield like to push players high up and really pin their opponents back ensuring they have the opportunity to recycle possession and prevent them from launching counterattacks.
Here we can see him get into a good crossing position where he whips in a right-footed cross looking for a teammate to turn it goalwards. In 2023/24, McGee averaged 2.27 crosses per 90 with 30.9% of them being classed as accurate suggesting he often hits them more in hope than specifically targeting a teammate.
Further to the above, this clip shows how McGee can receive the ball out wide and dribble beyond his opponent whilst getting into a good crossing position. By remaining out on the right touchline, he stretches the pitch and draws opponents out to him which of course, creates spaces in central areas for his teammates to run into.
Ethan McGee racked up three assists last season, an area where he could do with improving slightly. He gets into some excellent positions but as we can see in the clip above, the final pass is just lacking slightly.
Additionally, here we can see McGee out on the right wing again, this time he opts to play a line-breaking pass into the space ahead for his teammate to run onto. He averaged 6.78 progressive passes per 90 for Linfield last season and 2.02 progressive runs indicating that he is someone that his team can turn to when building an attack.
Moreover, it is clear just how effective he can be in the middle of the park. Ethan McGee is a player who is comfortable receiving the ball under pressure and turning away from his opponent, using his body shape to shield the ball. In this clip, he drives into the open space and then executes a well-placed low shot with his left foot that finds the back of the net.
The 21-year-old finished the 2023/24 campaign with two goals to his name which is no surprise given the role(s) that he has played for Linfield but I do believe this is an area where we may see small improvements. McGee is clearly capable of getting into goalscoring positions and seemingly has the ability to remain calm when doing so, even if he does occasionally hit a wild pot-shot from outside the area.
Having a player who can confidently receive the ball under pressure, such as McGee, helps maintain possession in challenging situations. This skill is crucial for controlling the game, especially in high-pressure environments where opponents are pressing aggressively. By being able to secure the ball and turn away from the opposition pressure, McGee ensures that Linfield retains possession and can continue building their attack or alleviate defensive pressure.
Plus, his willingness to drive forward disrupts the opponent’s defensive structure and has the ability to open up new passing lanes, allowing the team to advance the ball more effectively. It also provides the opportunity to exploit gaps in the opposition’s defence, leading to potential goal-scoring chances, as we saw above.
In terms of his off-the-ball movement, McGee is very intelligent. Here, he receives the ball and lays it off to a teammate. He then spins his opponent and makes a run forward into the space where his teammate plays a long pass into his path.
When playing centrally, he typically looks to make underlapping runs in the right half-space which allows him to provide an additional attacking threat. As we have seen earlier in this report, when playing as a wing-back or full-back, he will typically be the one who stays wider although he does look to make those underlapping runs when an attacking teammate has positioned himself out wide.
Ethan McGee offers a dynamic attacking presence, he is capable of progressing the ball via his passing or carrying abilities. Additionally, he is able to retain possession under pressure and shows some excellent positioning. With some small improvements to his goal contributions, he has the potential to be a real threat for Linfield in the attacking phase of play.
Transitions:
In the defensive transition, McGee’s recovery runs are so important for Linfield. Whether deployed as a midfielder or defender, he typically looks to cover the space where the full back/wing back has vacated. He appears to be very instinctive and usually reacts quickly when his team loses possession.
Here, we can see him sprinting into the space where Larne are looking to attack and in this situation he gets back and puts the opponent under pressure, preventing the counterattack and allowing his teammates time to adopt their defensive shape.
In the attacking transition, McGee likes to utilise his long-range passing, when he is the one who recovers possession, he will typically look to launch it long. On the one hand, this enables him to clear the danger and gives Linfield the option for a counterattack. We can see above that he pounces on a loose pass and then immediately looks to play the ball over the top for his teammate.
However, it has to be said that it also increases the likelihood of turnovers which put Linfield back under pressure. It’s interesting that he consistently opts to do this when he is capable of driving forward with the ball at his feet and it may be beneficial for him to retain possession himself or opt for a short in some instances, just to allow his team to gain control of the game again.
When his teammates recover possession, McGee typically looks to use his speed and athleticism to push forward quickly and contribute to the potential counterattack.
Conclusion:
Ethan McGee is a wonderful talent. He possesses an excellent physical profile with speed, athleticism and strength at the core of his game but that is not all. He is technically very competent, capable of receiving the ball under pressure and turning away at speed whilst retaining possession. Additionally, he gets into some good crossing positions and with a little work on the end product or final pass could be an important creator for Linfield going forward.
Should he continue on this trajectory, McGee has the ability to play in England for sure. It would be good to see him with a League One club in the not-too-distant future as it would be the ideal development ground for him before potentially playing in the Championship.
Originally published at https://bethlimb.substack.com.
