SAINTS midfielder Ibrahima Diallo explained what it was like to play alongside global superstar Kylian Mbappe, while coming through the youth ranks at Monaco.

The pair both cut their teeth in the academy of the Ligue 1 side and eight-time French top-flight champions.

While Diallo is now plying his trade at England’s elite level, Mbappe features in the same PSG team as the midfielder’s elder brother, Abdou.

Asked what it was like to play alongside World Cup winner Mbappe, 22-year-old Diallo told the Daily Echo: “He was a young player like everyone else at the time.

“He was in fact actually a year older than me, so we didn’t have that natural playing against each other all the time, but you could tell he was a very good player.

“We had a normal relationship like all players at the time but it was good to come through the system with him and good to play with players like him.”