Euro 2020: Kante is 'machine', France will benefit with his presence, says Louis Saha

Louis Saha also picked England, Poland, France, and Belgium as his four sides who would enter the semi-finals of the top European competition.

New Delhi: Euro 2020 is set to kick off on June 12 and former France striker Louis Saha believes that France will be in good stead in the upcoming tournament as they have some key players in good form including maverick N'Golo Kante.

The 42-year-old also picked England, Poland, France, and Belgium as his four sides who would enter the semi-finals of the top European competition.

"I do think this season was tiring for everybody, it was during the pandemic, players had to follow the protocols and adapt. N'Golo Kante is just a machine, I think he knows what he needs to do. He has improved his game, he really does now recover the ball high up the field. He is really strong, when you have this kind of physical ability and simplicity in your game, he knows where to run," said Saha while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference.

"Kante would not be that tired, some players can run more than him but they do not think like him. He is really smart, he is a pretty clever player. France will benefit from a player like him. Imagine how much potential is there in his game, I am really excited to watch him," he added.

Saha also named Kante and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo as the two players to watch out for in the upcoming competition.

"The first one that comes to my mind is Cristiano Ronaldo, he is one of the players to watch out for. He is always up there. N'Golo Kante is another player to watch out for, he is the only player to be awarded Man of the Match in both the semi-finals and finals of the Champions League.

When asked about who would reach the semi-finals in the upcoming tournament in his opinion, Saha said: "I still see France, Poland, England, and Belgium reaching the semi-finals. I for some reason see Poland qualifying for the semi-finals."

Talking about Karim Benzema's impact, Saha said: "He brings the quality to the France side, he will be dangerous. He has been done there for Real Madrid and he has managed to adapt, he is looking forward to Euro 2020 as well, he missed the national team so much, he will be looking to enjoy this competition."

Euro 2020 will be held in 12 cities in 12 UEFA countries this time around. Saha welcomed this move as he thinks that the sport can benefit from a different time of format.

"I think football needs innovation, there is a different type of format and you need to see how that works out. Just having that type of competition in the town is great. Football is for everybody, if we manage to try out a formula that works for everyone, it would be great. I am fine with bringing as many fans as possible to the competition," said the 42-year-old.

Talking about Belgium's chances in this competition, Saha said: "There is a lot of potential in their squad. They do not have Eden Hazard, but as I said, there is a lot of potential in their squad. Belgium I expect would reach the quarterfinals or the semi-finals."

Louis Saha will be one of the panelist on Sony Sports Network for the upcoming UEFA EURO 2020.