'He's currently the best' - French coach insists Liverpool star deserves African POTY more than Lookman, 4 others

French coach Denis Lavagne has stated that Mohamed Salah is more deserving of the African Player of the Year award than Ademola Lookman.

Despite Lookman being a strong contender for the accolade due to his impressive performances with Atalanta and the Nigeria national team, Lavagne believes Salah’s consistent excellence sets him apart.

Lookman played a pivotal role in Atalanta's success in the UEFA Europa League during the previous season, showcasing his skills and impact on the team's journey to victory.

Lookman had a remarkable season, scoring a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League final, leading Atalanta to a 3-0 victory over Bundesliga champions, and playing a pivotal role in Nigeria's journey to the AFCON final, where they were narrowly defeated by Ivory Coast.

The 27-year-old has maintained his remarkable form this season, tallying nine goals and providing five assists in just fifteen matches across all competitions.

In spite of Lookman's impressive achievements, Lavagne, in an interview with Foot Africa, expressed his disagreement with the shortlist for the prestigious award for Africa's best player, which was released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

He firmly asserted that Mohamed Salah stands out as the best player on the continent.

According to the former Cameroon national team coach, Mohamed Salah, rightfully deserves to be honoured with the African Player of the Year award for 2024.

“Even though he was not shortlisted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), I think that the Egyptian Mohamed Salah fully deserves the trophy for best African Player of the Year, ” Lavagne stated.

"He has done great things with Liverpool and with the Pharaohs. In my opinion, he is currently the best African player." 

Salah has continued to demonstrate his world-class talent this season, recently scoring in Liverpool's 2-0 triumph over Manchester City at Anfield.

His consistent performances have kept him at the forefront of discussions regarding the best players on the continent.

CAF shortlisted notable talents such as Lookman, Ivorian Simon Adingra, South African Ronwen Williams, Moroccan Achraf Hakimi, and Guinean striker Serhou Guirassy.

Adeyemi Adewale

Copyright ANS
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from allnigeriasoccer.com