Former Paris Saint-Germain forward Moussa Diaby is having a fantastic 2023-24 season with Aston Villa. The 24-year-old is in his first season in the Premier League and has scored four goals and registered five assists in all competitions.
So, what has led to the Frenchman’s success with Aston Villa this season? Well, his former PSG teammate, Kylian Mbappé, might be playing a minor role.
In an interview with the Irish Times, Diaby revealed that he’s following Mbappé’s advice. The France national team captain stated that the Aston Villa star has to use one of his key traits to be successful.
“He wants to win everything – even in [PSG] training, he always wanted to score,” Diaby said. “He told me: ‘You have to use your speed.’ I tried to use his advice and I have improved. You have to learn when you need to use it. The older you get, the more you know your body and mind. He helped me with my positioning and also to give me confidence to attack with my quality … I think we have similar qualities, with our pace.”
Diaby isn’t only having individual success with the English side. Aston Villa is one of the surprise teams in the Premier League this season. Unai Emery and his team are currently in the top four and have a puncher’s chance to win the league title if they keep up this pace for the entire campaign.