Manuel Herrero Sanchez

Dr. Manuel Herrero Sanchez


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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10 September 2026 in Sports
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Juan Miguel Ramírez LucasJuan Miguel Ramírez Lucas
Juan Miguel Ramírez Lucas
JMJuan Antonio Párraga Montilla
Juan Antonio Párraga Montilla
MSManuel Herrero Sanchez
Manuel Herrero Sanchez
JCJosé Carlos Cabrera
José Carlos Cabrera
PLPedro Ángel Latorre-Román
Pedro Ángel Latorre-Román
Background: Football performance emerges from the interaction of technical, physical, and perceptual-cognitive abilities, yet talent identification protocols often assess these components separately. This study examined whether football-specific dual-task (DT) performance, assessed using the Soccer Skills and Cognitive Aptitude Test (SoSCAT), could discriminate between coach-rated talent levels in youth football players. Methods: A total of 181 male football players aged 12–18 years participated in this cross-sectional study and were classified into U14 (n = 70), U16 (n = 63), and U18 (n = 48) categories. Based on coaches’ evaluations, players were also classified as more talented (n = 46) or less talented (n = 135). Participants completed football-specific technical, physical, cognitive, and DT assessments. Results: Coach-rated talented players demonstrated superior football-specific DT performance, with faster completion times under DT conditions (partial η2 = 0.190), a smaller increase in completion time (ΔTime; partial η2 = 0.095), lower DTC (rrβ = −0.351), and fewer decision errors (rrβ = −0.211). Older players showed better absolute DT performance and fewer decision errors, although ΔTime and DTC did not differ between age categories. Age, coach-rated talent status, league goals, and football-specific technical performance remained independently associated with SoSCAT DT performance (adjusted R2 = 0.500). ROC analysis showed good discriminative ability for SoSCAT DT performance (AUC = 0.822). Conclusions: Football-specific DT performance demonstrated good discriminative ability between coach-rated talent levels. The SoSCAT may represent a valuable complementary tool for multidimensional player assessment by integrating football-specific technical execution and perceptual-cognitive demands. However, its interpretation should consider the cross-sectional design, absence of biological maturation assessment, and reliance on coach-rated talent classification.