Ex-Marseille director: When I first saw Aston Villa midfielder Kamara he was like Beckenbauer

Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara was likened to Franz Beckenbauer as a teenager.

Olympique Marseille's former academy director Thomas Fernandez worked with Kamara at OM as a youth teamer.

He recalled to Marca: "The first time I put him to play as a centre back was with the 'B', February 20, 2016.

"I remember the date because his performance was clairvoyant. That day reminded me of Franz Beckenbauer.

"He was very comfortable and exuded class in everything he did. You could see that he knew how to play. He is technical and has character, but he doesn't make much noise.

"The first time I saw him, in 2014-15, he was 15 years old. I knew that Bouba had a great reputation and we all agreed that he read the games very well. He was not the most mature physically, but he was very good technically. His positioning was perfect and he was very good in duels. We saw many things in him to make him become a great central defender."