Joe Rodon enjoyed a stellar debut on loan after leaving Tottenham Hotspur earlier in August.
The Wales international joined Ligue 1 outfit Rennes on a season-long arrangement last Monday.
And although Rodon kicked off his stint in France with a 1-0 defeat by Lorient, the Tottenham centre-back appeared to enjoy a relatively solid opening game.
According to WhoScored, the former Swansea defender, an £11 million signing under Jose Mourinho, won three aerial challenges – as many as anyone on the pitch – and clocked a passing success rate of almost 94 percent, the highest of any Rennes player.
That statistic can occasionally be manipulated into looking more impressive than it is, particularly if that player barely touched the ball.
But the Spurs powerhouse also managed 97 touches, illustrating that he was constantly getting possession and, as it turns out, constantly distributing it efficiently, too.
Rodon also managed one interception, two clearances and was the only Rennes defender to emerge from the 90 minutes without a booking.
Despite losing on his debut, this appears a pretty stellar first game for the Tottenham loanee on an individual basis at least and it’ll be fascinating to see how he develops in France over the course of the season.
Clement Lenglet’s arrival on loan from Barcelona pretty much summed up his fate at Hotspur Way under Antonio Conte.
The Italian manager has never looked entirely convinced by him, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad player because, as he proved last night, he isn’t.
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