thoughtless ? Please explain.
Believe me. With decades of experience I think I can properly assess the qualities of young riders.
As I wrote. A talented young rider (as you prove with examples). But certainly not of Pogacar's level, probably not of Bernal's level either. A good climber, but not a top climber. Also too few time trial capacities. A potential top ten rider of major stage races. To win tough one day races like Liège or Lombardia (after a solo, because not a sprinter) his engine was also a bit too light.
It is a well-known phenomenon that after his death a talented person is valued more and more by some. But that is not based on objective facts.
Yes thoughtless.
With decades of experience you should know some riders develop faster then others and usually the older you get, the bigger your engine gets.
It's impossible to say if he would have ever won LBL or a stage race, but it's also impossible to say he wouldn't.