Rumoured Newcastle United target Kamaldeen Sulemana has earned rave reviews from his peers since bursting on the scene. The Ghanaian youngster is the latest winger to be linked with a move to Tyneside, with moves for Jack Harrison and Moussa Diaby hitting stumbling blocks over price tags.
Rennes stumped up around £13million to sign the 20-year-old last summer and he excelled in his debut season, bagging four goals in 20 Ligue 1 outings. Eddie Howe is seeking a new wideman and Sulemana - who has 11 caps for his national team - is billed as one for the future.
As such, ChronicleLive has profiled what those in the game have said about the Ghanaian sensation.
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Erik ten Hag
Speaking to ESPN last year, the current Manchester United boss fawned over Selemana after a stellar campaign for FC Nordsjaelland. Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen were understood to be monitoring his situation at the time before Rennes swept in.
“He brings power and depth, on and off the ball,” ten Hag said. “It's an important quality. More and more players nowadays want the ball at their feet instead of making runs. He can make those runs and he has incredible speed."
Bruno Genesio
Rennes manager Genesio called the prospect “deadly” after a match-winning performance against Metz last October.
He said: "This is typically his characteristics: he is enthusiastic, carefree, runs fast, deadly He gives us a lot of pleasure, and he is pleased to lead because he always comes to training with a smile to work.
“He has a lot of freshness, he is 19 years old and has made an incredible start to the season. He is also in the image of a team which has found its bearings and confidence.”
Jonas Martins
Sulemana’s Rennes teammate was left stunned by his superb solo goal against Metz. The Frenchman insisted there “are not many players like him” who can turn a game on its head.
Having Sulemana and Allan Saint-Maximin on the flanks next season would terrorise Premier League defences. Martins hailed the 20-year-old after the 3-0 victory.
"Kamaldeen Sulemana is very talented,” he said. “There are not many players like him. He is able to create situations on his own, there is no need for many people around him.
“But victory is more of a collective that emerges. We are implementing a new complicated cycle with many matches. We must not relax, we must continue to work and keep this state of mind.”
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