The officer – who worked extensively within Border Force in the UK and Europe – claims there are staff shortages and told us they believe there needs to be continuing investment in training and technology to help with the sheer volume of passengers coming through the Channel Tunnel. A separate source – a civil servant at the Home Office who works in immigration and asylum enforcement – told us it was "no surprise" the Channel Tunnel is being targeted. "We deal with people in immigration cases who tell us they came through the Channel Tunnel using fake passports," they said. "Some of them actually say that they saw a customs officer or a Border Force officer and they presented the document and they allowed them through." 'There's potential for people to slip through' Our investigation shows an Albanian people smuggler claiming that for £24,000 he can arrange for a migrant to be brought to London in the passenger seat of a £100,000 Range Rover. The officer who formerly worked within border control told us: "It's very difficult, but if somebody's managing to get through and they're that confident that they can sit openly in the car, then you have to ask yourself, is it the technology, or is it the officer on the desk? "The pressures that staff are under are immense. At times it can be overwhelming. You might look at a vehicle and think, 'Okay, it's a British vehicle – they're coming home.' "So you may well then consider that actually it's British vehicles, so it's less likely there'll be anybody in the vehicle that would potentially be an imposter." Passing through border control, documents are scanned, and there may be additional checks. The officer said: "If an officer's looking out the window and there’s a lot of traffic and it's up on the board saying 'waiting times are X amount of time', it's going to put pressure on them to think, 'Well, I need to get them through more quickly.' "But I guess it's always in the back of your mind that it's so busy there’s potential for people to slip through. But we always did our best to make sure that we checked everybody as thoroughly as we possibly could using the technology that we had available to us." How smugglers try to game the system Both of our sources told us the technology at border controls is very good – but they admit it's a constant battle to stay one step ahead of those trying to reach the UK illegally. The officer who formerly worked within border control said: "Individuals chancing it run a very high risk of getting caught. A lot of people do get stopped. But there are people out there with extensive skills who attempt to bypass document safeguards. "People may try to use genuine documents, but they are not the person in that document, so the document could be stolen. You get a lot of imposters. It is entirely possible that they [officers] may have missed something from someone in a vehicle that might have looked very similar to the person in the document. "People are becoming more creative as to how they can circumvent the checks and balances put in place, which means you always have to be on the front foot to stop these people." The officer who formerly worked within border control told us following a fast-track migrant returns deal between the UK and Albania – designed to deter illegal small boat crossings – they noticed a rise in Albanians and other nationalities trying to reach Britain using fake documents. They said: "I think it had a big impact. When it’s more difficult to get through one way, people try another." The Home Office civil servant told us the Channel Tunnel "is still a problem" – but small boat crossings "are taking up a lot of the publicity because that's what you see every day". Exploitation and debt bondage Our investigation raises concerns not only about security checks at the Channel Tunnel but also migrants coming to the UK illegally, then working in crime to pay back people smugglers who brought them here. And in particular, fuelling the drugs trade in Britain. Those who work in the anti-slavery sector have told us there needs to be a "concerted effort" to "go after criminal gangs". Justine Carter, deputy CEO at anti-slavery charity Unseen, told us their caseload has risen "exponentially" since 2018, and last year 44% of their cases involved some kind of financial control. She said: "Debt bondage is used as a deliberate tool to coerce and trap victims through inflated or manipulated debts. "I'm very concerned about people who sign up to this because I don’t think they understand the repercussions of being here illegally, which creates specific vulnerability. "In most situations of debt bondage, you never pay off the debt, so you're beholden to that individual crime gang. "It’s important that we follow the money. Exploitation, debt bondage – it's all about money. And it's absolutely imperative that when we get victim testimony we go after the criminals." 'Now easier for people smugglers to move around' Dr Andi Hoxhaj, an associate fellow at the RUSI think tank, says there are 3.5 million regular cannabis users in the UK. He has written a research project on Albanian migrants in the UK. He says: "My sense is there’s something important missing from the conversation – and that's why in the first place we have a drugs trade and a drug market in the UK. There's a big market that needs drugs to be grown in the UK or transported into the UK." Dr Hoxhaj says Brexit has impacted the amount of time it takes UK law enforcement agencies to obtain information from European counterparts. He said: "One of the biggest issues that law enforcement agencies are struggling with is to identify people who have been involved in drug smuggling and other sorts of crime in parts of Europe when they arrive in the UK. "Now it takes double the time when we used to be part of the EU to get the data and information, and that puts pressure on tackling organised crime and how you identify them so it’s easier for them to move around." A spokesperson for the Home Office, who are in charge of border checks, said: "We have extensive checks and world-leading technology protecting our borders at the Channel Tunnel. For that reason, the instances of illegal entry through the Channel are extremely small. "Asylum claims from those entering illegally via lorry or car are down by 25% in the past year, showing our approach is working. "Those who attempt to cross should be in no doubt you will be removed, with 70,000 people with no right to be in the UK removed since the election."

UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said in June she was "minded" to intervene in Paramount Skydance's $110bn (£81.4bn) acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) over public interest concerns. But a statement from her department on Thursday said she would not due to the legally binding commitments provided to her by Paramount. Money blog: HMRC repays £50m to thousands of pension savers The media and entertainment conglomerate said it would invest £80m in the UK and ensure the news brands it acquired would remain editorially separate, as would the children's TV channels. It has promised that Channel 5 will continue to operate as a public service broadcaster and be separate to the US news brands it owns: CNN and CBS. It added that CNN International will continue to be available in the UK. A letter from the company to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it had "no intention to change Channel 5's commissioning strategy, scheduling approach, news provision, UK origination levels, children's content". Paramount has agreed to make the assurances legally binding. The deal is now effectively green lit by the UK as competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, decided there are no aspects necessitating its intervention. Ms Nandy said, however, she will be meeting with Paramount in the coming weeks seeking assurances about the impact of the deal on wider creative industries. Why does it matter? Ms Nandy had expressed concern over media plurality and the shrinking number of news media owners. Fears for streaming service concentration had also been voiced. A merger of WBD and Paramount Skydance is one of the biggest media deals in history, with significant impacts on TV, filmmaking, and the possible future of the cinema. Other entities that would be owned by Paramount Skydance and WBD in the event of a deal include TNT Sports, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon, as well as the Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming services. TV channels will remain distinct from the streaming services, the UK government was assured. The joining of two of Hollywood's five legacy studios could prompt cinema operators' concerns over possible reductions in jobs and the ​number ⁠of films released in theatres. The company is also headed by David Ellison, the son of Trump-ally Larry Ellison, who put up tens of billions of dollars to satisfy funding guarantees for the WBD bid. While the EU has approved the takeover, regulatory approval is still required in the US, where state attorneys general led by California have sought to block the deal on antitrust grounds.

Mr Polanski said that "people of colour... can sometimes be held by higher standards" in society - and claimed the University of Cambridge had already carried out investigations. Professor Jason Arday quit his high-profile role at the university on Wednesday after it launched an investigation into his "academic qualifications and honorary appointments". In his open resignation letter, the professor of sociology of education, who became Cambridge's youngest black professor in 2023, said the "only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away". His decision to step down comes after a series of media reports, including a story in The Daily Telegraph, alleging he plagiarised his PhD thesis and other research. Questions were also raised about the truth of other claims he made, including that he ran 600 miles in six days and that he had raised £5.5m for charity. He said his resignation should not be "mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me" or "interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship". He added that he had "reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure". Speaking on LBC, Mr Polanski sought to defend his decision to sign a letter which criticised the "sustained and malicious attacks" on the academic's integrity. He said: "I think the whole affair sounds pretty sad. "I think it would be good, actually, if the (university) investigation still was carried out, because I think it would be good to know the truth. "And ultimately, I think these things should be about fair process and transparency rather than trial by media." He added: "(The university) had already done, I think, two investigations and found there was no problem here or that the allegations were unfounded, and so (the letter) was about essentially saying that people of colour, particularly in society, can sometimes be held by higher standards." The letter was also signed by a number of other prominent left-wing figures. Read more from Sky News:Boxer accused of killing UK aid worker back in courtExplosive German drone 'attack' carried out 'professionally' On Wednesday evening, the University of Cambridge announced it had launched an investigation - which Mr Polanski urged them to continue. In a statement, it said: "Separately, there remains a number of ongoing complaints regarding academic misconduct, which are being handled in line with our misconduct in research policy." Jesus College said in a statement that it was launching its own process in relation to the allegation. Prof Arday's memoir, Great And Unfortunate Things, is due to be published by Simon & Schuster later this month.

The Spain World Cup winner is wanted by both Spanish giants and has entered the final year of his contract at City. As reported by Sky Sports News, Real have been in talks with City since last week and indicated they would be prepared to pay £50m. Barcelona are believed to have received encouragement they stand a good chance of signing the midfielder should Rodri move in this window. Their interest has stepped up in the past 24 hours. However, City do not want to sell their key player. They are hoping he will agree to a new long-term contract at the Etihad and lead the team into a new era under Enzo Maresca. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Man City news & transfers🔵Man City fixtures & scores | FREE Man City highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream PL games with no contract📺 Rodri had successful back surgery after the World Cup and is currently recovering. He is expected to miss the Community Shield game against Arsenal and the opening Premier League fixture of the season as a result. Upon his re-election as Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez was criticised because the club had too few players representing Spain at this summer's World Cup. They signed Marc Cucurella from Chelsea as the tournament got under way, and everyone at the club are believed to be on board with a move for Rodri next. Madrid are considering their next move which includes whether or not to raise the amount they are willing to pay. Carra: Don't sell Rodri for £40-50m! Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher: "£40-50m? If you're Manchester City, what's the point in selling them? You might as well just keep them for the extra year. "He's as good as anybody in that position in the Premier League, probably the best. Seeing what he was like in the World Cup, it was like he was back to his best. "I thought the second half of the season him and Bernardo Silva were fantastic and almost took Manchester City to the title. "So, if I was the manager of Manchester City, I'd be keeping Rodri at that price. It'd have to be something really special to want me to lose arguably the best midfield player in world football. "I think it'd be really tough for them to win the Premier League without Rodri, even though they've got a lot of midfielders. He's the best, even though they've brought Elliot Anderson, who is one who I'm sure will learn off Rodri. "And for me, I'd see those two as a pair. I see Elliot Anderson as almost the replacement for Bernardo Silva, who's gone to Real Madrid. So, I think that'd be a big hole. It'd be really difficult to fill. "When Liverpool won the title under Arne Slot, Rodri got an injury in that season very early on, which helped Liverpool and was to the detriment of Manchester City. So if I was Manchester City, I'd be keeping him and letting him go on a free. "City paid £60m for him. If they're getting £40m back now, what can they do with that type of money? Not a lot, really. So, I'd rather keep him." How much of a loss would Rodri be to Man City? Sky Sports' Laura Hunter: Massive. Despite his age, and recent injury record, Rodri remains the most complete central midfielder to have operated in the Premier League over the past five years. "The best midfielder in the world by far," maintains Pep Guardiola. Under Guardiola, City's in-play strategy revolved entirely around him, always impressing with his use of the ball and ability to receive in tight situations. He set the tempo for his team and controlled games as a result, doing the same for triumphant Spain this summer. There is no current player who can condition a game like Rodri, and it is no coincidence City failed to retain their Premier League crown in the two seasons he was injury-plagued. So, how is he replaced? In short, he isn't. But in Anderson City have got a surrogate of sorts. The England international might not yet be the dictator Rodri is but he can evolve to become something close. As a box-to-box midfielder, the 23-year-old is putting up numbers that at least mean he is comparable.

The ruling, handed down by a US judge in New Mexico, stipulates that the bulk of the money – $420m (£312m) – will be used for treatment services for young people, while the rest will go towards awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years. The new penalty is in addition to the $375m (£280m) Meta was ordered to pay in damages after a jury ruled in March that the company had knowingly harmed children's mental health, taking the total to almost $1bn. Meta has said it disagrees with both rulings and will appeal. While the total amount Meta has been ordered to pay – $942m (£700m) – constitutes a small fraction of its roughly $60bn (£44.6bn) annual profit in 2025, New Mexico attorney general Raul Torrez said the decision represents "a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child and every child who deserves to grow up safer online". Meta is facing lawsuits from thousands of families over similar issues. Earlier this year, the company, along with Google, was found liable by a court in Los Angeles for a woman's social media addiction in what was hailed as a landmark ruling. Both companies said they plan to appeal. A 'public nuisance' In a statement on Thursday, Meta said: "We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content." "We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts." Read more from Sky News:Group 'tried to retrieve organs from alive donors''Explosive diarrhoea' cases rise As part of the latest ruling, Judge Bryan Biedscheid – who said the company had created a "public nuisance" – ordered Facebook and Instagram to clearly display information on their platforms about their protection features, best practices and tools to address inappropriate comment. Judge Biedscheid also said that, while privacy laws prevent Meta from applying age-verification tools to children under 13, it should continue to improve its age assurance tools – which include using AI to determine someone's age – and look to develop a dedicated "under-13-years-of-age prediction model" within the next two years. Any changes in New Mexico, however, would be subject to review by the state. Later this month, another trial against Meta begins in California, where it will face four of the 29 states suing the company in a federal multi-district lawsuit that alleges it knowingly designed features that addict children to its platforms.

The Celebrity Big Brother 2016 winner had been placed on the sex offenders register, handed a five-year restraining order and given a 21-month jail sentence in 2023 for sharing a private sex tape of his ex-girlfriend, former The Only Way Is Essex star Georgia Harrison, on his OnlyFans website. The tape was posted without Ms Harrison's knowledge or consent. The 36-year-old was then charged with harassment for posting on social media between March and July last year about the case, in which sentenced in June. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he made degrading comments about Ms Harrison and encouraged others to comment about her in repeated posts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube, despite a restraining order banning him from doing so. Ms Harrison, 31, gave police screenshots and screen recordings which showed Bear made a series of accusations and degrading comments about her. At Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison and handed a new restraining order banning him from contacting Ms Harrison indefinitely. Speaking after his sentence was handed down, Ms Harrison, who was appointed MBE in 2025, praised the police for their handling of the case, saying: "Essex Police took me seriously when so many women in my position are overlooked. "They treated this as the serious crime it is - not a celebrity story. It is a real offence against a real person. "They built the case properly, they stayed with it, and when the order was breached, they acted instead of shrugging. From the messages I get every day, I know how rare that still is. "If every force treated this the way Essex Police did, thousands of women would feel safer today." Read more:Oasis granted Knebworth licenceFemale officer 'bitten' during violence Ms Harrison, who has previously waived her anonymity in this case, has starred in reality TV shows including The Only Way Is Essex and Love Island. After becoming a victim of revenge porn, Ms Harrison has actively campaigned against violence against women and girls. Bear's behaviour shouldn't be 'normalised or accepted' Detective Constable Swarv Stafin, who led the investigation into the breach of the restraining order, said: "Stephen Bear's behaviour is not okay and it should not be normalised or accepted. "The impacts of being harassed are very real. It causes a great deal of stress and anxiety - it is something no-one should have to experience." Mr Stafin also paid tribute to Ms Harrison's "courage and dignity," adding, "I would urge anyone that is experiencing any sort of harassing behaviour to the police, no matter how small or big it is, it will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly." Bear was taken into immediate custody and must serve at least half before release.

Its balance sheet, published on Thursday by the Electoral Commission, shows the value of the £100,000 vehicle has been removed from its books. Murrell, the estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,310.65 from the SNP earlier this year and was sentenced to five years and three months in prison. During Police Scotland's long-running Operation Branchform investigation which snared Murrell, the Niesmann and Bischoff Smove 7.4E, which was parked at his mother's home in Fife, became an object of both scorn and ridicule. While it was initially claimed the vehicle would be used to campaign for the SNP during the pandemic, court records showed Murrell purchased a number of guides for motorhome holidays around the same time. When it was seized by police in April 2023, it was found only to have travelled four miles. Read more:Operation Branchform: The downfall of Peter Murrell It also emerged in the accounts that Murrell is still owed £60,000 from a loan he gave the SNP in 2021. The figure remains on the balance sheet, but the party says Murrell has not "formally requested" the sum back. A note in the accounts said: "There is no formal loan agreement in place, no interest is charged on the outstanding balance, and no specific repayment terms have been agreed. "The former chief executive has not formally requested repayment of the outstanding balance. "Due to the absence of agreed repayment terms and the lack of recent communication regarding settlement, there is uncertainty as to when, or if, this loan will be repaid to the former chief executive, and whether it may ultimately be waived or written off. "This uncertainty regarding the future outflow of economic benefits from the party represents a significant judgment made by the party in assessing the nature of the liability and is disclosed to ensure the financial statements provide a true and fair view of the financial position." An SNP spokesperson later said that in light of Murrell's conviction, the money will not be paid back to him. They stated: "Our accounts show the position of the loan as of the end of 2025, since that point Mr Murrell has pled guilty to the crime of embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. "In light of this, the party is pursuing the full recovery of the money stolen from us and will not be making any payment to Mr Murrell." A proceeds of crime hearing is expected to take place next month, with the SNP seeking "to recover from the guilty party the full amount embezzled", according to treasurer Peter Grant. First Minister John Swinney said the accounts, which cover 2025, show the "formidable financial strength" the party was in leading up to May's Holyrood election. The SNP boasted a £509,903 surplus, compared to a near-£400,000 deficit the year before, largely driven by cuts to staffing following a 2024 redundancy drive. More than £1.7m of the SNP's income last year came from membership fees, with the party saying it had 50,443 members at the end of June, down from the peak of more than 100,000 during Ms Sturgeon's time as leader and a further drop from the 56,011 since 2024. "The publication of the SNP's accounts today shows that at the end of 2025 the party was in a position of formidable financial strength, having made a surplus of more than £500,000 over the year," Mr Swinney said on X. "The rebuilding of the party's finances allowed us to run a well-resourced campaign that took our positive message to every community in Scotland and made a major contribution to our historic election victory."

Originally signed as an understudy to the established centre-back partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, with a view to eventually succeeding that duo alongside teenage defender Giovanni Leoni, Jacquet now looks set to replace his fellow Paris-born defender after Konate's departure on a free transfer at the end of last season. Joe Gomez was in contention to line up alongside Van Dijk in Liverpool's Premier League opener at Newcastle United, live on Sky Sports, only for the long-serving defender's injury curse to strike again in pre-season. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Liverpool news & transfers🔴Liverpool fixtures & scores | FREE Liverpool highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream PL games with no contract📺 And with 19-year-old Leoni, brought in from Parma last summer as Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group looked to bring down the average age of the first-team squad, still recovering from the ACL he cruelly sustained on his Reds bow in September, Jacquet's own debut has now been fast-tracked. The 21-year-old has himself only just returned from the shoulder problem that prematurely ended his season with Rennes just days after agreeing to move to Liverpool, although his planned debut against Leeds United on Sunday was delayed with him still feeling discomfort and head coach Andoni Iraola wanting to be "careful" with his new recruit. However, there is growing optimism that he could return for one of the club's final two pre-season friendlies at Anfield, against AS Monaco on Sunday or Como a week later. Iraola is understandably eager to see him alongside Van Dijk before the season gets under way with the trip to St James' Park on August 23. When Jacquet agreed to join Liverpool in February, turning down Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the process, Arne Slot was still in charge at Anfield. But with the Dutchman having since departed, the defender will now begin life on Merseyside under a new head coach as Liverpool look to bounce back from a disjointed Premier League title defence last season. One of the biggest issues for the reigning champions last season was at the back. Only Iraola's Bournemouth conceded more goals among the teams that finished in the top 10, while Liverpool's tally of 53 goals against was their highest in a 38-game Premier League campaign. Of those 53 goals, 20 came from set-pieces - another unwanted Premier League record and a glaring weakness that resurfaced in Sunday's collapse against Leeds, when Liverpool's makeshift defence conceded four goals in just 25 second-half minutes, including two from long throws. All of which seems a significant burden for a player with fewer than 100 senior appearances to his name in all competitions, including just 37 league outings, to shoulder. Yet there is a reason Arsenal were also tracking Jacquet closely last summer before Liverpool moved decisively to invest £60m in January, making him the fourth-most expensive defender aged 21 or under in football history. Jacquet, who hails from the Bondy commune in Paris, came through Rennes' renowned academy, which in recent years has produced and sold the likes of Desire Doue, Mathys Tel and Lesley Ugochukwu. However, it is the Frenchman who now stands as the Brittany club's record sale, surpassing even Ousmane Dembele and Doue. While attempting to break into the Rennes first team, the Frenchman was sent on two loan spells at Clermont, the second of which came in Ligue 2. Explaining his decision to L'Équipe, he said: "It was either stay at Rennes with little playing time or go and discover something new. I chose minutes on the pitch - and it paid off." Rennes paid nearly €1m (£856,000) to cut short that second loan spell in February 2025, with Jacquet returning to establish himself as a key figure in their first team. Such was his importance to the Ligue 1 club that they insisted on keeping him for the remainder of last season as part of negotiations with Liverpool during the winter window. "He had a loan at Clermont that went well," European football expert Kevin Hatchard told Sky Sports News. "He was playing for Rennes, but it shows you just how much they rated him that they really didn't want to let him go in this [January] window. "His coach Habib Beye said, 'If we let him go this season, we'll have to downgrade our goals for the season'." Liverpool's original plan was for Jacquet to learn from his idol Van Dijk - "If I want to go as high as possible, I must immerse myself in him and others" - while gradually being introduced to the starting line-up. That approach reflected his relative lack of experience, with the defender having only been operating at the highest level since January 2024, never having played in Europe, and arriving at Anfield with just 8,000 senior minutes under his belt. Those best-laid plans have since changed, however, accelerating Jacquet's path towards an earlier-than-expected Reds debut. Yet his relative lack of top-level experience is unlikely to be a concern for Iraola. That is because the new arrival is a natural leader in the Van Dijk mould, having captained France at every age-group level from U17 to U20. He also wore the armband at the 2024 U19 Euros, where he was named in the team of the tournament. His physical profile and raw attributes should also make him well suited to the increasingly demanding and combative nature of the Premier League. Jacquet is a ball-playing defender who began his career as a midfielder, modelling his game on Paul Pogba. "I wanted to play like him," he recalls, only for Rennes' scouts to see a different future for the youngster and convince a reluctant Jacquet that his path lay in defence. "They were right," he admits. "They knew better." That midfield background has helped make him comfortable in possession, with a calmness on the ball reminiscent of Van Dijk, as well as the Dutchman's elegance and athleticism. "I'm calm on the ball, maybe I can look a bit nonchalant, but I'm focused," he explained. "What defines me is playing out well, breaking lines with the right pass." The numbers back that assessment up. The right-footed Frenchman completed 90.4 per cent of his passes in Ligue 1 last season (973 out of 1,076), while, crucially for a defender about to embark on a Premier League career, his athleticism also makes him a commanding presence in the air. Across 19 top-flight appearances last term, the 6ft 3in centre-back recorded the third-highest aerial duel success rate in Ligue 1 at 75.5 per cent. He also ranked among the top 20 for ground duels won, finishing second at Rennes with a 62 per cent success rate. Opta data further highlights Jacquet's defensive contribution, with the youngster averaging 4.9 clearances and winning possession 4.14 times per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 last season. As Hatchard summarised, he is "a rising star who is good on the ball, with a good passing range, athletic and great in the air." Someone who has followed much of Jacquet's, albeit still fledgling, career to date is French football expert Julien Laurens, who is convinced Liverpool have made the right call with this signing. "He's the real deal," he told Sky Sports News. "I know he's only 21, he hasn't played for France and he hasn't played in the Champions League or Europa League. "He still has a long way to go, but he's been impressive since last season, when Rennes recalled him from his loan spell in the second division, and he has continued that progress this season under [manager] Habib Beye. "You can't get it wrong. He is going to be amazing. He reminds me of when William Saliba burst on to the scene in France with Saint-Etienne, or Wesley Fofana. "It's about how much you value that potential and talent. You would pay a lot of money for someone who hasn't really proved much. It's a lot of money for such a young player." If the young France defender can prove to be anywhere near as good as his compatriot at the Emirates, Liverpool will have found themselves a worthy successor to legendary captain Van Dijk.