Kyogo Furuhashi was praised on his debut by new Rennes boss Habib Beye....for his defensive duties.
The Japanese international completed his £10 million move from Celtic to the struggling Ligue 1 club last week and made his debut at home against Strasbourg.
His new side claimed a huge 1-0 win against Strasbourg and Kyogo lasted 66 minutes before he was substituted by the ex-Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Marseille star.
And Beye was positive about his new signing's contribution in an unexpected way.
He said: "Defensively, Kyogo Furuhashi did everything we asked him to do and we have to appreciate that.
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"He had chances to shoot, but you have to look at the work the players did to break up the link-ups.
"It's a new culture for him, a new kind of football. And he's happy, he's smiling.
"It's the same as another new signing, Alidou Seydou, these are players who shone when they arrived at the training facility.
"We want to be influenced by their energy. There is a projection of happiness here that makes us work even harder."
