Traore Impact

Roberto Martinez reckons Lacina Traore will have a massive impact on his group of players for the second half of the season

Martinez:: “I think it is important that Lacina’s role will be influential for us [in the second half of the season].

“For now it is important that he gets to know the place, the players, and how we play.

“I’m going to use that period where he’s not fully fit to get all the concepts and everything ready for him to have a massive impact on our group.”

“Lacina is still a very young man and it’s strange to have a footballer that is only 23 but has already experienced so much,” he added.

“He had a very good start at Cluj and then he went to Russia and was very successful there. He got a massive move to Anzji and now another to Monaco. So he is a player who has already had two big moves of nearly £30million in total, which is quite impressive.

“He is someone with real pace and obviously his height attracts the eye. But he has great co-ordination which allows him to use that height and to have a real good speed. His movement too is very good, and technically he is as good a player as you are going to see at that height.

“With the friendly nature we have at the club, we can allow him to be himself, to settle in well and enjoy his football. If he does that, he will be a phenomenal footballer for us.”