Liverpool star Jeremy Jacquet is already being tipped to become one of Europe’s best centre-backs if he continues developing at his current rate.
The 21-year-old has made an impressive start to life at Liverpool following his £55 million move from Stade Rennais and has wasted no time adapting to the demands of Premier League football.
Liverpool have conceded just four goals across their opening five league games, with Jacquet playing a major role in their impressive defensive record.
Jacquet has already been rewarded for his blistering start to his Liverpool career with a maiden call-up to the France national team from new head coach Zinedine Zidane.
He marked his senior debut with a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory over Belgium before helping France hold Italy to a 1-1 draw.
Despite having played only 180 minutes for his country, European football expert Andy Brassell believes Jacquet has already shown enough to suggest he belongs among the continent’s elite defenders.
Brassell was particularly impressed by how quickly the youngster adapted to the Premier League. He believes Jacquet’s maturity is unusual for a player with so little experience at the highest level.
“What’s clear is that even at this early stage in his international career, he feels an enormous upgrade on the players around him,” Brassell told talkSPORT.
“Ibrahima Konate has not had his best year, both with Liverpool and Real Madrid, where he’s not exactly hit the ground running.
“Dayot Upamecano is a great centre-back, but he has his moments where he switches off. I think people are absolutely blown away by how he (Jacquet) stepped up.
“He was good for Rennes, but I don’t think you can realistically expect a central defender of more experience than him to come into the Premier League and boss it like that straight away.
“So, for someone of his age to do it is absolutely remarkable.”
Unfortunately for Jacquet, his international break ended on a worrying note. He missed France’s 4-1 win over Belgium after suffering a hamstring strain.
His setback is a huge blow for Liverpool, who are preparing to host Manchester City at Anfield.