Meet AS Monaco’s Reject Who is Currently Europe’s Hottest Forward

Once deemed not good enough by Former gaffer and France world cup winner Laurent Blanc.

The rise of Christopher Nkunku has been nothing short of rebuffs and knock-backs. In fact, he was rejected by Monaco, Lens, and Le Havre for a relatively shocking and unbelievable reason;

“He was considered too young and light”

Quite bizarre right?

Still, the young French man didn’t let these rejections get in his way. His consistency and tenacity eventually have seen him grow to become one of Europe’s most priced forward.

After three notable rejections the lad then younger than 15, saw fate smile on him as he eventually got signed into the U-15s of PSG.

Christopher’s signing with PSG saw him spend the weekdays at Clairefontaine and playing only on weekends with Paris Saint-Germain until he made the permanent move to the French powerhouse at the age of fifteen.

Joining the youth setup of PSG proper in 2010, the youngster seamlessly grew through the ranks of the PSG youth system and he was part of the famous PSG side that finished as runners-up in the 2015-16 edition of the UEFA youth league.

The versatility of the youngster caught the attention of then PSG’s coach Lauren Blanc and eventually, he got his first-team debut in December of 2015, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute for Lucas Moura. Nkunku started in the PSG academy as a winger thanks to his speed and supreme dribbling skills but was frequently used centrally because his vision and passing range have always been remarkable.

Subsequent managers; Unai Emery and Thomas Tuchels, struggled to fit the youngster into their team’s setup, and eventually, Nkunku was only considered a useful player to have on the bench.

Some say his versatility was his problem, as he eventually had to seek greener pastures away from the city of love.

In a deal in the region of €13 million, the French prodigy joined German Bundesliga side, RB Leipzig.

Under then-coach Julian Nagelsmann, Nkunku was used in up to eight different positions in his first two seasons though productive, but it seems he was gradually being haunted by the same ghost that saw him leave Paris.

However, the appointment of Jesse March appeared to be the perfect lift for Nkunku’s career at RB Leipzig.

So far, Nkunku has been involved in a total of 48 goals this season a number that has seen the demand for him increase all around Europe. Adding more feathers to his cap, he made his international debut for the French national side against Ivory Coast.

 The 24-year-old is also one of the strongest runners in the Bundesliga. His total number of sprints this season is 856. A feature that most European giants covert.

It remains to be seen if RB Leipzig will be able to hold on when most European giants come knocking in the summer.  When asked about the future of Christopher in the summer, Football Administrator Oliver Mintzlaff had this to say;

  "We have clearly discussed it internally,"

"We won't let Nkunku leave this summer, we told him and his agent."

Mintzlaff’s comments come just two weeks after he told the press "Nkunku will be our player next year" but admitted, "In football nobody is unsellable". Reports suggest the player is keen to take the next step in his career and Interested buyers will have to offer RB Leipzig - who are in rush to sell thanks to the player's contract - a transfer fee in excess of £60million, it's understood.