Vladimir Koman profile: 10 things you need to know about the Liverpool target - plus watch him in action

By Dan Silver in Football Spy

Published 11:55 28/10/09

Liverpool are lining up a January raid for £4million-rated Sampdoria star Vladimir Koman .

But what do we know about the Hungarian youngster? MirrorFootball's Patrick Gysin digs deep...

1) Vladimir Koman Jr. was born on March 16, 1989 in Uzhgorod, Ukraine. An attacking central midfielder, he's currently on loan from Sampdoria at Serie A side A.S Bari.

2) He played his first games for local football team Haladas, after his family had moved to Szombathely when he was a child.

3) Vladimir made his debut in the NB2 (Hungary's second tier) in 2005 - aged just 15 years-old.

4) His dad, Volodymyr Koman, was also a professional football player who represented the the Ukrainian national team.

5) Koman Jr made his Serie A debut playing for Sampdoria against Torino as an 18 year-old on April 7, 2007. He made an immediate impact, providing the assist for the winning goal.

6) In the following season he lead Sampdoria to success in the Campionato Primavera tournament for Serie A and B youth teams.

7) Despite being born in the Ukraine, Koman plays for Hungary. He first came to international prominence at Under-19 level, captaining his side during the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship

8) During the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, Koman helped his country to a third placed finish. His impressive return of five goals in six matches made him the runner-up for the tournament's Golden Boot award.

9) He's found first-team chances hard to come by at Sampdoria, and spent the 2008/09 season on loan at Serie B side Avellino. His four goals from 28 appearances there couldn't prevent the team's eventual relegation. Still, at least Koman didn't have to stick around for the side's subsequent demotion to Serie D for financial offences.

10) Koman is contracted to Sampdoria until 2012, but his burgeoning reputation as a goal-scoring midfielder of some repute has brought him to the attention of some of Europe's top scouts. And you can see what they're getting excited about by watching this clip of him in action for the Hungarian Under-21s...