You can see why Idrissa Gana Gueye would be a fan of Pape Matar Sarr.
The two Senegal internationals are two peas in a Ligue 1 pod. Like Paris Saint-Germain’s £27 million enforcer, Metz starlet Sarr burst onto the scene as an energetic ball-winner, but it became clear very quickly that there is a lot more to his game than hassling and harrying.
Sarr, one of the most impressive breakthrough stars in French football this season, is as impressive in possession as he is out of it; striding forward with pace and purpose before firing shots at goal.
Sarr has even scored three times in 15 starts for Metz this term.
With the Mail reporting that Everton and Aston Villa are interested in a player already valued at £27 million, just six months after making his first-team bow, there is a real chance that Sarr could soon be showcasing his talents at one of Gueye’s former clubs.
“He’s my type of player, I admire him a lot,” Gueye said after Sarr impressed in Metz’s 3-1 defeat to PSG in April, via Get French Football News.
“Loads of talent – he’s the future of Senegal.”
L’Equipe reported in April that Newcastle United and Chelsea are also in the mix for Sarr’s signature.
While the comparisons between Sarr and Gueye were always inevitable, Metz coach Olivier Perrin believes his 18-year-old sensation has more in common with a £55 million Barcelona star.
“I immediately said to myself that he was a top player, with a very high-level (with regards to) reading and analysing the game,” Perrin told Senego recently.
“He is Miralem Pjanic.”
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