Fekir is a bit like Messi, claims Koscielny

Laurent Koscielny has compared fellow French international Nabil Fekir to Barcelona star Lionel Messi ahead of his side’s World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Netherlands.

After a breakthrough 2014-15 campaign with Lyon, scoring 13 goals in Ligue 1, Fekir missed a large part of last season due to a knee injury, which also saw him miss Euro 2016.

The 23-year-old has impressed in the opening stages of the 2016-17 season, though, and Koscielny has nothing but praise for the winger.

“Nabil has got huge technical skills,” the Arsenal man said at a news conference.

“He’s a bit like Messi with his small steps when he runs with the ball in one-on-one.

“He was slowed down a bit with his terrible injury, but he’s slowly coming back to his best level. He’s able to make a difference on the pitch, with a good one-on-one or with an assist or a goal.

“He’s a young player who needs to be happy in his club and his national team. He’s a very nice guy, so we hope he’ll improve to become a great player.”