Jules Kounde: 'I'll play wherever the team needs me'

Jules Kounde is back with the FC Barcelona squad. After reaching the semi finals of Euro 24 with France and then taking a much-deserved break, he landed in Baltimore on August 1 and watched the Clásico from the side-lines.

“The team looks good" he says. "The youngsters are competing hard and there's a lot of intensity in training. I have a good feeling and am looking forward to getting some playing time of my own."

Asked exactly where he would prefer to be doing that, he replied that “I'll go wherever the team needs me. I've spoken to the coach and told him I feel comfortable in either position. Last season I may have developed a bit as a full back, and I played there in the European Championship too, but centre back is still my favourite place. But I'm happy to go wherever I'm needed most."

If he plays right back then he'll be sharing a wing with Lamine Yamal, who he praised from Annapolis. “I expect to see the same from him that we saw last season and at the Euros" he says. "He has grown a lot, and is a player who makes a difference. He listens and learns and if he keeps doing that, he can only get better."

Another of the youngsters that has impressed Kounde thus far in the preseason has been Pau Victor, who has certainly demonstrated that he knows how to score goals.