Liverpool defender Jeremy Jacquet delivered a fantastic performance during his senior France debut against Belgium in the Nations League on Monday night.
The centre-back signed for Liverpool from Rennes last summer, and has already proved a fantastic acquisition with consistent performances in the heart of the defence for the Merseyside giants.
The 21-year-old has already become an ever-present figure alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defence, and he finally got his opportunity to prove his credentials with the national team yesterday.
Jacquet started alongside Maxence Lacroix at centre-back in a much-changed France outfit, but he still looked an assured figure, winning an impressive six out of seven duels contested at the Stade Roi Baudouin.
The youngster also impressed with his distribution at different phases. He had a passing accuracy of 92% and also made 4 recoveries along with 3 clearances and 2 successful tackles for Zinedine Zidane’s side.
The French media were undoubtedly impressed by the talented Liverpool ace. Ouest-France said that he was ‘imperial’ on the night and he looked like a ‘seasoned veteran’ of the squad after a stupendous debut. He was given an 8/10 rating alongside Desire Doue.
“Imperial Jacquet. It was his first time wearing the senior France jersey, but it certainly didn’t show. Winning a duel after just ten seconds, playing passes that drove the play forward, and pushing into midfield to create numerical superiority—the former Rennes player looked like a seasoned veteran of the squad. If he keeps putting in performances like this, he soon will be,” the publication wrote.
Unfazed
Figaro Sport also heaped praise on the ex-Rennes man. They rated his performance at 6.5/10 and said that the Frenchman was unfazed during his first cap and particularly impressed with his duel-winning ability against Charles De Ketelaere, the outlet published: “Unfazed during his first cap, the new Liverpool player particularly shone in his duels with De Ketelaere.”
Jacquet has been quite exceptional since his summer transfer to Liverpool from French side Rennes. The central defender sustained a painful shoulder injury in the back end of last season which delayed his participation in pre-season with the Reds.
Hence, there were doubts whether he could seamlessly adapt to the higher intensity of the Premier League, but he has done so with flying colours and has become the main man alongside Van Dijk. Ronald Araujo was the more experienced defensive acquisition this summer, but the Uruguayan has operated as a right-back at the start of the season owing to Jacquet’s success.
Jacquet could get a breather in the next Nations League match against Italy with wholesale changes expected again. He is most likely to return to the starting XI for the reverse fixture against Belgium before reporting for club duty.
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