KYLIAN MBAPPE’S pace has England fans nervous — but he is not even in the top two fastest Frenchmen.
The Three Lions take on France in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday and Mbappe is viewed as the biggest threat to Gareth Southgate’s side’s hopes.
Champions League data shows the PSG star was the third-quickest French player in this season’s groups.
Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele is at the top of the rankings having registered 36.6kmh, exactly level with Shakhtar Donetsk’s Ukrainian hotshot Mykhailo Mudryk.
Dembele has not been brilliant for the La Liga side this season but has still chipped in with some valuable contributions.
His four goals and five assists in the league helped the team claim top spot before the break for the World Cup.
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At the tournament, he is yet to find the net but has provided two assists.
With Luke Shaw expected to keep his place at left-back, the Manchester United defender will have to be on form to keep the winger quiet.
AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez was the next French star, in tenth at 35.7kmh, with Mbappe behind him in 11th.
Hernandez will likely be playing behind Mbappe in the match against England.
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He has already provided two assists at the tournament, continuing his fine form in Serie A.
For his club, Hernandez has been very good defensively and has also scored two and assisted two more in his 13 league appearances.
While Kyle Walker is believed to be put Mbappe duty, whoever Southgate plays at right-wing will have their fair share of defending to do.
Bukayo Saka could be the choice in that case, as he has previously been used as a wing-back at times in his career.
Portugal’s AC Milan forward Rafael Leao (36.5kmh) then Real Madrid’s Uruguay midfield ace Federico Valverde (36.3kmh), and another Portuguese star — Marseille’s Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares (36.2kmh) — complete the top five.
Should England beat France, they will then face either Portugal or Morocco in the semi-finals of the World Cup for a spot in the final.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
