Ibrahim Mbaye has admitted he placed too much pressure on himself at Paris Saint-Germain before completing his £47million move to Aston Villa.
The 18-year-old joined Villa on Deadline Day as Unai Emery added another major attacking option to his rebuilt squad.
Mbaye is still waiting for his competitive debut after being an unused substitute against Hull City and Club Brugge.
Now the Senegal international has opened up on one lesson he wants to carry into life at Villa Park.
Ibrahim Mbaye admits PSG pressure mistake
Speaking in an interview relayed by Sport Witness, Mbaye explained how competing alongside some of Europe’s biggest attacking names affected his mentality.
The winger said things at PSG “weren’t necessarily going the way I wanted” and admitted he put unnecessary pressure on himself.
Mbaye was competing for opportunities alongside Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos.
Rather than simply learning from those players, he found himself feeling he had to outperform them.
Mbaye now believes the better approach is to use experienced team-mates as an opportunity to develop.
That could prove important at Aston Villa.
Emery has so far taken a patient approach with one of his most expensive summer additions.
Mbaye remained on the bench as Villa drew 0-0 at Hull, with our analysis looking at why Emery resisted introducing the £47million winger while his side searched for a goal.
He was again unused during Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League victory over Club Brugge.
Aston Villa can give Mbaye time to develop
There should be little need for Villa to rush him.
Mbaye only turned 18 this year and arrived after spending his entire senior career at PSG.
Our earlier analysis of what Mbaye could bring to Aston Villa highlighted his pace, direct running and willingness to attack defenders.
Those qualities remain valuable regardless of how quickly Emery chooses to introduce him.
Villa’s investment makes clear how highly they rate his potential, but Mbaye’s own comments suggest patience could be important.
His Aston Villa player profile will track his appearances and statistics throughout the season after his £47million move from PSG.
Mbaye no longer needs to prove he is better than PSG’s established stars.
His next challenge is simply showing Emery what he can offer Aston Villa.
