Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria believes teammate Kylian Mbappe has the attributes to become a future winner of the Ballon d’Or. The Frenchman has made great strides over the past 30 months and he managed to build his reputation further after contributing four goals en route to Les Bleus’ World Cup glory.

Speaking to reporters, Di Maria described Mbappe as a ‘phenomenon’ and said that the 20-year-old has great potential to go on to win the Ballon d’Or crown, he said: “Kylian is a phenomenon. Since his exit from he has grown a lot as a player and produced an extraordinary World Cup. “If he continues like this, surrounded by team-mates with great potential, he will evolve further and will certainly win the Ballon d’Or.”

Meanwhile, speaking on the personal scale, Di Maria revealed that he is content with the proceedings at Parc des Princes where his form under Thomas Tuchel handed him a three-year extension earlier in the campaign, he added: “He has great confidence in me because last year I could not play as much as I wanted. When he arrived we had a meeting. He came to see me in when I was with the squad and he simply told me that he wanted me to stay, that there was no other option.”

Paris Saint-Germain are currently holding a comfortable 13-point gap at the top of Ligue 1 with a couple of games in hand and they are widely expected to retain the title by the end of March. Still, that won’t entirely please the hierarchy, given progress in the Champions League has been highlighted as the prime priority for the club.

Les Parisiens are scheduled to face Manchester United across two legs at the round of 16 stage and the matches are certain to test their credentials, given the Red Devils have shown resurgence under the guidance of interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Mancunian giants have won each of the seven matches under the new management.