Bundesliga
Former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has been so impressed with Jadon Sancho this season that he has likened the English teenager to a young Franck Ribery.
Sancho,19, has scored eight goals and provided Europe-leading 13 assists for Bundesliga frontrunners Dortmund in his second campaign of top-flight football, earning public acclaim and four senior international caps for England along the way.
Hitzfeld is a big fan, and the 70-year-old has compared the former Manchester City youth player to Bayern's 35-year-old veteran winger Ribery, whom he brought to the Bundesliga from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille in his final season as coach of Germany's record champions.
"Sancho surprised everybody," Hitzfeld told Omnisport. "He's a gifted player, very fast, technically perfect, he always has a trick up his sleeves. He reminds me of a young Franck Ribery, who was also very tricky and going for goal as a young player. Sancho is like that and he has the pace to make a name for himself in international football."
Watch: The story of Jadon Sancho
Hitzfeld also believes Sancho's career is best served in the Bundesliga, a division synonymous with youth development and one which Ribery has gone on to win a record-equalling eight times since moving to Bayern in 2007 at the age of 24.
"For [Sancho's] career, it would certainly be better to remain at Dortmund," affirmed the retired German tactician - himself a seven-time Bundesliga champion as a coach (five with Bayern, two with Dortmund).
Sancho could meet Ribery for the second time in his Bundesliga career on Saturday when Dortmund travel to Munich for Der Klassiker. The Englishman made a telling contribution to the return fixture, dispossessing Ribery in the build-up to Paco Alcacer's decisive goal in a 3-2 win, and Hitzfeld believes BVB - two points better off than Bayern going into the game - have the edge.
"The momentum is in Dortmund’s favour because they won their last match [against Wolfsburg]," he explained. "They scored two goals in injury time. That boosts confidence levels and brings a special mood - you could see that in the pictures after the game. It will be a real challenge for Bayern's defence."