Former Chelsea and France defender Frank Leboeuf has heaped praise on Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante by comparing him to Claude Makelele.
The 25-year-old, who is in Les Bleus’ squad for this summer’s European Championships, was one of the stand-out performers in the Premier League this season and played a pivotal role in the Foxes’ unexpected title triumph.
His brilliant form has seen him break into the France squad and also linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium once the tournaments reaches a conclusion.
One of the clubs reportedly interested in his signature is Chelsea, according to the Mirror, and Leboeuf has likened Kante to a pair of players who performed similar roles when at Stamford Bridge in the past in Makelele and also Lassana Diarra after the midfielder’s stunning season with Leicester.
“It is such a surprise with Kante, his story is a fairy-tale. Kante is the new generation of [Lassana] Diarra or [Claude] Makelele,” he told the Mail.
Kante is likely to be in contention to start for hosts France in their tricky-looking Euro 2016 opener against Romania on Friday night alongside Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi for Didier Deschamps’ outfit.
He made more interceptions than any other player in the Premier League this season (156) and showed that he is more than just a midfield destroyer by recording an average pass accuracy of 82% during 37 appearances.
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