Rafael Leao: Goals Show panel lavish praise on AC Milan star, suggest he could replace Kylian Mbappe at PSG

The Goals Show panel has lavished praise on Rafael Leao after the Portugal international starred yet again for AC Milan in a 3-0 victory over Rennes in the UEFA Europa League.

Leao lit up the San Siro once more when he scored his side's third goal having played a sublime backheel into the path of Ruben Loftus-Cheek before running onto the exchange pass and slotting it into the far corner.

Such skill was reminiscent of Kylian Mbappe, who has reportedly confirmed that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, and TNT Sports expert Julien Laurens believes Leao is "on the shortlist" to replace him at the Ligue 1 champions.

"He’s definitely on the shortlist to replace Mbappe. The club now knows for sure that Mbappe is leaving," said Laurens.

"I'm not sure if he would want to go. He's on the shortlist and he can make his mind up."

Glenn Hoddle, who was on the commentary duty for TNT Sports, was clearly impressed with Leao.

So far this season, Leao has four goals and nine assists to his name in 21 appearances. In the 2021/22 campaign, he was a key player as Milan won the Scudetto for the first time in 11 years, scoring 11 times and registering 10 assists.

TNT Sports expert James Horncastle accepted that Leao can be a "lightning rod for criticism" but believes that he is "probably the best player" in Serie A.

He added: "When Milan won the league a couple of years ago, he dragged them to the title."

The striker also caught the eye of TNT Sports pundit Owen Hargreaves.

However, the former Manchester United and England midfielder has called on the 24-year-old to start putting in that kind of performance on a more regular basis.

"He's Ronaldinho-vibes, sometimes, when he's on it," he said. "I think to be world class, you've got to be consistent.

"Because he's a bit flaky and a bit loose at times, he's probably just missing that gap to world class, but the talent's there to be world class."

Milan are currently third in Serie A, eight points adrift of leaders Inter, but are now on course to advance from the Europa League play-offs.

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