Ivory Coast boss Emerse Fae says he is confident Yan Diomande remains fully ‘focussed’ on the World Cup, despite incessant rumours linking the forward with the likes of Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
Diomande enjoyed an outstanding debut season with RB Leipzig last term and has been widely touted as one of the most exciting young talents at this summer’s tournament.
And on Sunday, Diomande underlined exactly why he has won so many admirers across the game, with the 19-year-old winger giving Piero Hincapie a torrid time in the Ivory Coast’s 1-0 victory over Ecuador.
In the build-up to the tournament, Diomande has welcomed speculation over his future, even talking up potential moves to both Liverpool and PSG in recent months, and the teenager’s eye-catching display will do little do quieten those rumours.
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However, his manager is keen to keep such gossip in the background as the Ivory Coast look to advance from the group stage for the first time in their history.
‘When we were in France, during the preparation, journalists told me he was about to sign with PSG,’ Fae joked after Diomande’s man-of-the-match showing against Ecuador.
‘Here, they tell me he’s about to sign with Liverpool!
‘I don’t know, but for now, he will focus on the World Cup, and then afterwards, he can think about the rest of his career.’
Fae went on to sing Diomande’s praises, applauding the youngster’s ‘talent’, work ethic and willingness to take on advice.
‘Yan – what can I say? I can’t put it into words,’ he continued.
‘He’s very talented, but beyond the talent, he’s very young and he’ll improve.
‘He’s a kid who works hard, has a real team spirit, laughs with everyone, and he listens.
‘He listens to the technical staff whenever he’s given advice, and tries to do his best, as he’s told.’
According to Fae, Diomande showed exactly what he is capable of with his exceptional performance against Arsenal defender Hincapie.
‘It’s easy to work with someone like Yan,’ he added.
‘He’s so talented and has what is needed, plus he can give you the victory and was a real challenge for Hincapie, a Champions League finalist.’
Fae was delighted with the way in which his players overcame the ‘fear’ factor to find a breakthrough, which arrived as Amad Diallo beat Hernan Galindez with an exquisite first-time finish at the death.
‘It’s the first World Cup for all 26 players, a first outing for them, so it was difficult, there was some doubt, there was some fear,’ he explained.
‘In the second half, we took more risks, were more concentrated, made fewer individual mistakes.
‘Plus, we have great attacking players, like Yan, like Amad, and they were able to get more on the ball, push Ecuador back.
‘We respected Ecuador very much in the first half, but over time we grew more confident, and then we managed to hurt them.’