“Josko Gvardiol One Of The Best Young Defenders I’ve Played With”: Yussuf Poulsen

Josko Gvardiol has one of the most sought-after defenders in the world© AFP

RB Lepzig, one of the most attractive teams in Germany, possess some of the finest young players in their squad. While Christopher Nkunku is arguably their lynchpin in attack, Josko Gvadiol is a wall in defence. After Leizpig held Manchester to a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Champions League, Danish forward Yussuf Poulsen spoke to NDTV in a select media conference about Gvardiol, who also happened to have scored against the Cityzens in the match. Poulsen had nothing but praise for the Croatian centre-back who remains one of the highest-rated defenders in the game.

One of the breakout stars of the Qatar World Cup as the cornerstone of Croatia’s miserly defence, Gvardiol showed his attacking flair, launching himself above the City defence to head in the equaliser in the 70th minute.

City took the lead after 27 minutes through Mahrez and looked on course for a comfortable away win but their fluency deserted them after the interval in the first leg tie.

“He’s probably one of the best young defenders I’ve played with. He’s just amazing and I can see him go very far with his career. He’s already performed very well for us and he’s already done very well for the national team. He can do everything you want from a central defender. He’s good, he’s fast and he can even score goals. He’s just 21, and will be an exciting player in the coming years,” Poulsen told NDTV.

Leipzig, who are placed third in the Bundesliga standings, would be determined to give Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City a tough fight in the return leg at the Etihad stadium, and hopefully, come out with a win under their belt.