Sunderland midfielder Alfred N'Diaye has likened teammate Stephane Sessegnon to Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

N'Diaye, 23, admits it is a relief to be on the same side as Sessegnon - having been run ragged by the former Paris Saint-Germain ace during his time at Ligue 1 rivals Nancy.

The French midfielder, a January signing from Bursaspor, said: "He is Messi! The fans love him and all of his team-mates love him too.

"He is a great guy, a good character and the biggest thing is he is a very good player.

"For me, he is the best player in this team. He has very good quality and it is very good for us that he is a Sunderland player.

"I played against him for Nancy when I was only 18 and he was playing for PSG.

"It was very difficult for me. I marked him because he was playing No10 and I was playing No6.

"I definitely prefer playing with him rather than against him!

"Every time I played him in France I took a yellow card. Every time!

"It is different now in training. I stay away from him!"