Borja Jiménez, Yan Diomande’s former coach at Leganés, has given a glowing assessment of the young winger in an interview with AS, recalling how quickly the coaching staff realized they were dealing with an exceptional talent.
Jiménez worked with Diomande briefly at Leganés and says the Ivorian stood out from his very first training session. The Spanish coach also revealed that Diomande regularly stayed behind after training for additional work on his decision-making and understanding of the game.
“Look, the truth is that from the very first training session we saw things I’d hardly ever seen before… I was lucky enough to coach Yeremay in his early days, and he’s also a game-changer, but what Yan showed in that first training session was an individual talent, doing things at just 18 years old that were on another level, things we didn’t have in our squad. Then, the first week confirmed that it wasn’t a fluke, but that he had enormous potential for improvement.
“Since he asked us to, and we believed we could help him during those ten weeks, we did specific drills after training focused on decision-making and understanding the game, which is where he adapted the fastest. As for finishing, that comes with age, but we tried to help him a lot with his understanding of the game. In the end, our job was to simplify things: I told him that when he had the ball at his feet, he would decide. My role was to get the ball to him in the best possible conditions so he could unleash his innate talent.
“In fact, I recently sent him a video with some plays because he was still telling me that the defensive tracking concepts we worked on with him in Germany, when we played with a 3-4-3 system where he acted as a wing-back covering the entire field, had been incredibly useful. From the first week, we knew he was special and that he was going to contribute from day one.
“At the end of the year, I publicly stated that in one or two years his value would double or triple, and I was way off, because it has multiplied five or six times… Those of us who are involved in football day-to-day and have been coaching for ten or twelve years were very clear that Yan possessed completely different qualities.”
Jiménez backs Diomande to play on either wing
Diomande’s positional versatility was another subject discussed in the interview.
Although Jiménez primarily used him on the left at Leganés, he pointed to the winger’s subsequent experience on the opposite flank and believes Diomande can perform at the same level from either side.
“Absolutely. I’d say he played almost all of his minutes in Germany on the right wing, about 70% of which I’ve seen. It’s true that with us, the vast majority of his minutes were on the left, but with Ivory Coast at the World Cup, we saw him frequently appear on the right, starting from a wide position. He won’t have any problem playing on either wing with the same quality in his dribbling. I’ve heard some analysts questioning his left-footed ability lately, but it’s quite the opposite…”
Jiménez was equally emphatic when addressing questions surrounding Diomande’s ability with his left foot, saying his comfort using both feet was apparent almost immediately at Leganés.
“Let there be no doubt that this is exactly the case. That was one of the first things he showed us in his first week of training: his ease in using both feet for passing and dribbling. Anyone who says they’re worried about how Yan can handle himself with his left foot… clearly hasn’t seen him play much.”
“He’ll thrill the Bernabéu fans”
The increased pressure Diomande will encounter at Real Madrid was also put to Jiménez.
While acknowledging that the expectations and media attention surrounding Madrid will represent a significant change, Jiménez has complete confidence in his former player’s mentality.
“Absolutely, 100%. Yan is a different breed and exudes incredible hunger. It’s clear that when he arrives at Real Madrid, he’ll quickly realize that the demands and media scrutiny are nothing like what he’s experienced before, but I have complete faith in his ability to prove he’s a different kind of player.
“Time will tell, but there were doubts about his performance in Germany, and he ended up being chosen as the best young player. There were also doubts about his role in the World Cup, and he showed he’s fantastic. I think the same will happen at Real Madrid, despite it being the most demanding environment for a footballer. I have no doubt that from day one he’ll thrill the Bernabéu fans with his play.”
Jiménez expects Diomande’s numbers to keep improving
Jiménez also believes there is considerable room for Diomande to develop further, particularly when it comes to his goalscoring numbers.
He compared that development process to other elite young attackers, including Lamine Yamal, arguing that the difficult part — possessing the natural ability to consistently beat defenders — is already there.
“(He will excel) In every aspect. If we look at all the superstars when they started out, their goalscoring ability was always questioned, and over the years they all improved their stats. He has a quality that very few possess, which is the ability to beat defenders.
“Look at Lamine Yamal, who debuted with that innate ability to beat defenders and is now significantly improving his numbers. Yan is a similar case. His dribbling is natural, and with time he will refine his statistical contribution. Posting those numbers in Germany is no easy feat, and he has achieved it. I have no doubt that he will also have great numbers in Spain and that he will continue to improve each season.”
Now, as Diomande prepares for the demands of Real Madrid, his former coach is backing him to make the next jump — and to make an immediate impression at the Bernabéu.
