Former Chelsea defender Frank Lebouef has admitted that he is a big fan of compatriot Dimitri Payet and has urged French national boss Didier Deschamps to build a team around the West Ham playmaker.
The 29-year-old attacking midfielder had a scintillating debut campaign with the Hammers in 2015-16 following a move from Marseille and was named in the shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year award.
Payet’s form has seen him force his way back into the Les Bleus reckoning, with Deschamps naming the West Ham man in his squad for the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament in France.
Lebouef has stated that Payet is a player that can lead the home nation to success over the next month and confessed that he wants Deschamps to include the Hammers star in his starting line-up.
“I am really fond of Payet and I have been supporting him and was putting pressure on Deschamps through the radio and the television networks, saying Payet should be the guy in the midfield zone,” The Daily Mail quote the former Chelsea man as saying.
Payet started the final friendly fixture for France before the tournament, playing a role in the side’s 3-0 win over Scotland.
