Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hailed Laurent Koscielny as “the best interceptor” of any European defender.
Koscielny is currently preparing for Euro 2016 on home soil, with the centre-back set to start for France.
He has cemented himself as one of the Gunners’ top players in recent seasons, impressing compatriot Wenger.
The boss said, as reported by Get French Football News: “Laurent Koscielny is the best interceptor of the ball in Europe in his position.”
Wenger was speaking just a day shy of the European Championships getting underway, with the host nation facing a defensively well-organised Romania side on Friday afternoon.
In the Premier League this season, the 30-year-old produced 127 interceptions, which was the highest number for any defender in the division.
However, it was someway short of his international teammate N’Golo Kante (154) at champions Leicester City.
It was a different story completely in the Champions League during the season as Koscielny’s 18 interceptions were bettered 25 other defenders, including fellow Arsenal centre-half Gabriel (19) and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Godin (38).
The Gunners’ No.6 has developed into one of the finest defenders in England since arriving from Lorient in the summer of 2010, and will have the chance to prove his club manager right during Euro 2016.
Koscielny is in line to start the Group A opener alongside Sevilla’s Aldi Rami, and the Arsenal ace will be crucial to Les Bleus throughout the tournament given the absences of Raphael Varane, Kurt Zouma and Mamadou Sakho.
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