Former PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino has told Kylian Mbappe what he needs to do to become a complete player.
France faced Poland in the World Cup round of 16, with Pochettino watching from the BBC studio.
The Argentine watched closely as his former player Mbappe was impressive throughout the first half, but Pochettino believes Mbappe now needs to take his game to the next level, and has given him some advice on how to do so.
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“It’s easy for him,” Pochettino said live on BBC One (approximately 3:50pm UK time).
“That’s so easy for him. [to beat defenders]. What he needs now to be a really complete player is to read space better, when to come in, how to receive between the lines, use the pocket. […] He needs to be more involved in the game.
“Of course, he is a great talent, we can see [that]but [his decisions] they are all similar actions. When he has time on the ball and room to run, it’s impossible to stop him, but then he needs to get more involved. He needs to be a more complete player.”
It may seem that Pochettino is being a bit critical of Mbappé, but he has worked very closely with him during his time at PSG. Mbappé is not yet the complete package, a scary thought given his sensational ability at such a young age.
No doubt France will pin the majority of their World Cup hopes on Mbappé this winter, which could be unnecessary pressure on a young player.
