Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho feels Raphael Varane will be the best French defender of his generation.

The youngster is now seeing regular action for Real.

Mourinho declared: "I believe Varane will be better than Laurent Blanc was because he is much faster. He is as intelligent, as calm, has the same presence and the same profile, but he is much faster. That's what I believe, with all due respect for Laurent, but he's still just a kid. I expect him to be better than Laurent when he reaches his prime at 26 or 27 years of age."