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Football London
Football London
Sport
Aaron Catterson-Reid

Kylian Mbappe applauds £27m Arsenal star following France's win over Ivory Coast

Kylian Mabppe has applauded Arsenal starlet William Saliba after the youngster made his debut for France during their 2-1 win over Ivory Coast.

Saliba, who joined the Gunners for a reported £27million back in 2019, has enjoyed an extremely productive campaign with Marseille, registering 14 clean sheets for Jorge Sampaoli's side this term - a hugely impressive feat when you consider that he is still just 21-years-old. The talented defender's consistent displays earned him a place in Didier Deschamps ' squad for friendlies against Ivory Coast and South Africa and he made his debut against the former on Friday night, impressing Deschamps in the process.

Speaking about Saliba and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, he said: "No I wasn't scared. It's good for [Saliba and Guendouzi], even if I would have preferred [the cheers] to be for everyone. They are two young players who have a lot of maturity.

Read more: Youri Tielemans tells Arsenal what they must do to sign him in fresh transfer hint

"William is incredibly calm." It wasn't just the France boss that Saliba has caught the eye of in recent times.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe also took to social media to comment on his compatriot's Instagram post regarding his debut, sending clapping emojis. Whilst Saliba's future with France appears to be moving in the right direction, it is unclear whether or not life at Arsenal will be similar.

Kylian Mbappe applauds Arsenal star William Saliba following France debut (Instagram)

As previously reported by football.london , the Gunners are planning discussions over a new contract for the talented centre-back at the end of the season, although it remains to be seen what the player's stance will be. When he was recently asked about his future at the Emirates Stadium, he told RMC Sport : "I think there will be discussions afterwards, at the end of May-beginning of June, with Arsenal and Marseille, we will decide at that time.

"But it is sure that continuing here would not be a bad idea, on the contrary, I know the city, my teammates, my coach. But it's not just up to me."

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