France youth coach Jean-Luc Vannuchi has described Arsenal defender William Saliba as a 'monster' and compared him to Virgil van Dijk and Raphael Varane.
Saliba signed for the Gunners last summer but spent the 2019-20 season on loan with St Etienne in Ligue 1.
The 19-year-old central defender was immediately made captain of France's under-18 side after his call-up in 2018, and coach Vanucchi immediately identified Saliba as the best player in the squad.
'My first impression was that this was the biggest man of his generation,' Vannuchi told The Telegraph.
'The difference between him and the other players was massive.
'When he took the ball and ran into midfield, no one could stop him. He was like a monster compared to the others. When he played with St-Etienne it looked normal for him, even though he was so young.'
Vanucchi also likened Saliba' 'speed' and 'positioning' to that of two of the world's best centre-backs: Liverpool's Van Dijk and Real Madrid's Varane.
'A mix of the two styles,' Vannuchi said.
'With Varane because of his speed and power, and with Van Dijk it is the interceptions, the positioning on the pitch.'
Arsenal are expected to add another defender to their ranks this week, with 22-year-old Lille star Gabriel Magalhaes set to sign for the Gunners.
Gunners4ever❤
169
There has been a lot of hype surrounding this kid. I hope all this is justified because he has only got 36 senior appearances under his belt to date. Inexperienced and raw so I won't be surprised if he looks shaky in his first season with us. I hope our fans don't make the same mistake they did with Pépé and expect consistent world class performances from him too soon because he will be a subject of criticism if he doesn't deliver. Pairing him with our imminent new signing Gabriel is good in a way because both are good young defenders with a bright future in front of them and they both speak French, which will help them be on the same wavelength in our backline during games. It might yet be too early to throw him right into the firing line and guarantee him starts immediately. Integrate him into our team slowly, give him enough chances to prove his worth starting with Europa League and domestic cup games against lower opposition and keep him grounded and focused. Then we may well have a defensive gem on our hands.. I'm still skeptical about him taking our defence to the next level together with Gabriel too soon because he's still very young.. I see him becoming a great defender slowly with time. Welcome to the Gunners family William. Defend the Arsenal colours with all you've got
swaggr_AIC
14
Don't compare a kitten to a LION... [Crylaugh][Crylaugh]