Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure is eager to work his way back into the France setup.

In 2010 he set up a goal for Paul Pogba as France lost 2-1 in the semi-finals of the European Under-17 Championship. He has played with the Manchester United superstar since the Under-16's. They remain friends to this day.

Speaking ahead of today's trip to Manchester City, Doucoure told the Mirror: “Sometimes they say black people don't have technique or elements like that. It's not true.

“A lot of black players have technique. Yaya is a very technical player. Me? Yes. I try to use my skill. I try to dribble to score goals. I'm not only physical. I'm not just running. I can do a lot of things.

“Paul has shown in the last few months that he has very good technique.

“He has scored a lot of goals. He makes space, he makes a lot of assists as well."