Arsene Wenger recently confirmed that he is closely monitoring Monaco teenager Kylian Mbappe.
The young striker has supposedly drawn interest from several clubs around Europe following his displays for Monaco this season.
So, who exactly is Mbappe, and is he someone Arsenal fans should be excited about? Well here are 10 things you should know about the teenager.
1. Mbappe started out at AS Bondy in 2010 where he spent three years. A stint at the famous Clairefontaine academy followed where he attracted interest from several French club after some impressive displays. Monaco eventually signed him in 2013
2. Between 2013-2015, the 18-year-old striker played for the Monaco B side, making 12 appearances and scoring four goals, before making the breakthrough into the senior side.
3. Mbappe made his debut for the Ligue 1 side on December 2nd 2015 in a 1-1 home draw against Caen, coming on in the 88th minute and becoming Monaco’s youngest-ever senior debutant aged 16 years 347 days, breaking Thierry Henry’s record set 21 years ago.
4. Mbappe netted his first senior goal for Monaco on February 20th 2016 in a 3-1 win over Troyes aged 17 years 62 days, becoming the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer, breaking Henry’s record once again
5. Due to his impressive development, on March 6th 2016, Monaco offered him a three-year deal which the player signed.
6. The teenager scored his first senior hat-trick on December 14th 2016 in a 7-0 hammering of Rennes in the Coupe de la Ligue Round of 16 – this was the first hat-trick by any Monaco player in this competition since Sonny Anderson in 1997.
7. Since breaking through to the first-team, Mbappe has scored seven goals in 31 total appearances in all competitions – six of which have been scored this season in 17 outings.
8. Mbappe is a France Under-19 international and has scored seven goals in 11 games thus far.
9. The young striker has been likened to Arsenal legend Henry, with Wenger seeing the same qualities in Mbappe as he did in the legendary Frenchman.
10. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly keeping tabs on the promising Frenchman, but interest is likely to increase should he continue his development in the right way.
