5 players who will use the World Cup to announce themselves to the world

#1 Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)

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In the summer, Ismaila Sarr took the bold step of turning down the opportunity of joining Barcelona from Metz. Instead, the teenaged attacker elected to move to Rennes, citing a greater opportunity for first-team football at Roazhon Park.

It’s not exactly been a move that has worked out – yet. Injury problems have prevented the winger from featuring regularly at his new club, yet he is back in training and has five months to prove himself worth of a place in Senegal’s World Cup starting XI.

With 10 caps already to his name, his place in the panel is surely not in doubt, despite his troubles.

He has been compared to Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane in terms of his style but also due to his path in the game, which started at the Generation Foot academy and took him to Metz, where both made their first steps in the senior game.

Sabri Lamouchi, his coach at Rennes, who has yet to have the pleasure of using him since being appointed in the autumn, says it is former France star he is better compared to.

“It’s better for him to attack from one side, where he can pick up speed. He reminds me a bit of Thierry Henry, who played like that at Monaco,” he told Ouest France.

The legend of Henry is already written and Russia could be just the stage Sarr needs to make his big breakout.