There can’t be too many footballers in England with as acute an understanding of what makes Kylian Mbappe tick on a football pitch than Han-Noah Massengo. The Bristol City midfielder watched in awe from the Monaco academy as an 18-year-old Mbappe took Ligue 1 by storm and fully expects his former teammate to make a telling contribution against England.
Much of the pre-match narrative around Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final at Al Bayt Stadium has been around how Gareth Southgate’s side will stop the France forward; does he revert to a back three? Can Kyle Walker do it alone with his pace and reading of the game? How do they keep him on the outside and stop him cutting onto his right foot?
Mbappe has unquestionably been the standout individual in Qatar with five goals and two assists in four appearances, and his brace against Poland in the last round confirmed an extremely impressive French performance and their passage into the next round.
