MUMBAI: Former France and Manchester United footballer Louis Saha lavished praise on his compatriot Kylian Mbappe today, saying he has the potential to become the next Thierry Henry.
"Yes, I think so he is (Mhappe's) tipped (to be next Henry). Mbappe has got naturally those qualities, looks like Thierry Henry because he is very fast, he can create his own chances," Saha told a group of reporters here, when asked whether Mbappe can become the next Thierry Henry.
Praising Mbappe for deft moves close to the opposite side's goalpost, Saha, an expert with Sony Pictures Network, said for a 19-year-old, to perform this way, "is unbelievable.
While Henry was in the 1998 France team that won the World Cup, Mbappe is making headlines with his superb performance in the ongoing World Cup.
France are playing Uruguay in the first quarter-final of the World Cup today.
Mbappe is "creating his own chances and at the same time going at the back of defenders," Saha said, talking about the teenager's style.
Saha also believes that defenders world over are struggling, and that could be one of the reasons for the upsets in this World Cup.
"You see goals, you see lot of defenders struggling because it is very hard to defend now. That is why you see upsets," the 39-year-old former French player noted.
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