Feature'Crazy fast', 'very intelligent' and 'a great person' - what's been said about Bradley Barcola

The Reds today secured the sought-after services of the forward, who arrives from Paris Saint-Germain with a hugely impressive CV in terms of trophies won and output produced.

Read on for glowing references from those who have played with or coached the France international during his career up to this point, as well as impressed observers from afar.

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"Everything comes naturally to him. He works calmly and collectedly. From day one, he was very confident in himself and his abilities – he wasn't afraid to go out there and show what he was made of. He assumes responsibility and actively seeks to make a difference on the pitch."

Marquinhos, PSG captain

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"He's a great player, but more importantly than that, he's a great person. I wish him nothing but the best."

Kylian Mbappe, teammate with France

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"I think he has evolved a lot. He is still a very interesting player with incredible speed but with a lot of quality and with very good defensive work. I see the hunger, the faith and the desire to become a better player."

Luis Enrique, PSG head coach

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"He has this ability to make flashes of brilliance, to eliminate opponents, to create differences through dribbling, speed and to score as well."

Didier Deschamps, former France head coach

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"Crazy fast."

Hugo Ekitike

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"He's a shy guy in the dressing room but he's very intelligent. You have some people who talk a lot. But the guy who is shy, they see everything and, afterwards, if you give advice to that guy, he knows what he has to do.

"He has always been discreet off the field. He is someone who speaks little. What surprised me about him, and about today's young players, is how confident they are during their early training sessions – especially him. From the start, he showed what he's capable of."

Olivier Giroud, former France teammate

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"He's a player who can do it all – score, dribble, get assists."

Ousmane Dembele, PSG and France teammate

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"He's a lad who completely deserved his place, who worked hard and who was allowed to train with me. You think, 'Hey, he's a good player' so you keep him and then you give him some playing time. Unfortunately, I left before he really broke through. He's a guy who's a real pleasure to work with."

Peter Bosz, who handed Barcola his senior debut at Olympique Lyonnais

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"He didn't show it [his talent] immediately or perhaps we didn't see it. But right now, if you don't see it then there's a problem with your eyesight. He doesn't second-guess himself. He scores goals, even though he is not necessarily an out-and-out striker. He can easily eliminate his opponents with his technical finesse and speed."

Laurent Blanc, Barcola's former head coach at Lyon

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"He is very clever with his runs inside. Because he played as a striker, he retains that ability to know when he needs to come inside and when he needs to run beyond."

Jean-Francois Vulliez, former head of Lyon's academy

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"He showed an intelligence in the way he organised his game in relation to his teammates."

Pierre Sage, Barcola's academy coach at Lyon

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"Between his early days with Lyon and even PSG and today, there's been a big evolution. He's become a complete player. He can manage his strong points and his weak points, and he has the self-confidence to create a lot of situations. In terms of efficiency, he's evolved even further."

Leo Dubois, former Lyon teammate

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"His profile is rare. It's very rare the way he can destabilise a defence and it's a big advantage to have players whose strength lies in movement. And his finishing has improved enormously."

Louis Saha, Frenchman and former Premier League striker

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"He's a vast sea of potential but he's also a lot now."

Andy Brassell, European football expert

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"Barcola is a hell of a player when he's very confident, so I want to believe that he's going to be very successful."

Frank Leboeuf, 1998 World Cup winner with France