‘Very, very good’ – Jeremy Jacquet has several French football legends mesmerised

Just two matches into his senior international career, Jeremy Jacquet is already earning lofty praise from several legends of French football.

The Liverpool defender made his debut for France in their win over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League last week, following that up with a standout performance in a 1-1 draw against Italy on Friday.

He earned the call-up for Les Bleus off the back of his superb form in his first few appearances for the Reds, with his duel success numbers being especially excellent.

French football legends full of praise for Jacquet

Jacquet was lauded by France head coach Zinedine Zidane, who said of the 21-year-old’s display against Italy (via The Athletic): “Very good. Very, very good. Brave. He wasn’t afraid to come out a long way. Very good in the duels. He was, once again, very good. I said it four times.”

Speaking to After Foot (via RMC Sport), ex-Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti gushed: “He’s a defender, he wins his duels, he’s very clean. I loved making passes, breaking lines… I saw him do it, try things, and it’s rare these days to find defenders like that. The priority when you’re a defender is to defend well, and he did it very well. It’s great to see.”

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Zidane’s fellow 1998 World Cup winner said of Jacquet: “He’s the one who brings out the best in [Virgil] Van Dijk, not the other way around. He’s a player who isn’t afraid of one-on-one situations, who reads the game very well, and who knows how to anticipate.

“Above all, there’s something I find very important when you work as a duo, and that’s the understanding you have with your teammate. I have the impression that they’ve been playing together for 3-4 years now.”

Jacquet has hardly put a foot wrong in recent weeks

For Jacquet to even be involved in the France squad is a huge testament to his form and ability, and to stand out for a national team who’ve been semi-finalists or better in each of the past three World Cups is a tremendous feat for someone so inexperienced at international level.

The figures below from Sofascore illustrate just how impressive the Liverpool defender was against Italy on Friday, in particular his perfect pass completion rate.

This could well be Van Dijk’s final season at Anfield, and the task of replacing him in the long-term is a daunting one, but the promise shown by his centre-back partner hints that a potentially world-class successor might already be in place.

Jacquet still needs to prove over a longer period that he can be Liverpool’s next defensive general, but on the evidence of what he’s shown so far, there’s every reason to believe this is only the start of a distinguished career on Merseyside.

We look forward to seeing him in action for France once more tonight when they host Belgium in their fourth and final match of this international window.