In a dressing room packed with emerging talent, few players at RB Leipzig command as much quiet awe as Yan Diomandé. The 19-year-old Ivory Coast winger, already one of the Bundesliga’s most coveted prospects, is being tipped by his own teammates to explode onto the global stage at the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Centre-backs Castello Lukeba and Willi Orbán, who face Diomandé daily in training, say the world has only seen a glimpse of what he can do. Diomandé has been heavily linked with a move away from Leipzig, with long-standing admirers Liverpool and European champions Paris Saint-Germain among the clubs monitoring him. Leipzig, aware of his soaring stock, are understood to value him at around €130 million.

Lukeba, himself on the radar of Premier League giants after missing out on France’s World Cup squad, admits he is relieved to be on Diomandé’s side more often than not. The defender describes the winger as a nightmare opponent in training, a player whose pace, balance and decision-making stretch even elite defenders to their limits.

For Lukeba, Diomandé’s rise has been both rapid and inevitable. He points to a season in which the teenager has grown from promising prospect to match-winner, forcing his way into the conversation about the most exciting young attackers in Europe. The World Cup, he believes, will simply confirm what those inside Leipzig already know.

Orbán, the experienced Hungary international and club captain, echoes that sentiment. He speaks of a “humble” character whose attitude off the pitch matches his explosiveness on it. According to Orbán, Diomandé’s development over the past campaign has been “unbelievable”, transforming him from raw talent into a player capable of deciding games at the highest level.

Ivory Coast have been drawn in Group E alongside Germany, Curaçao and Ecuador, and Diomandé is expected to be central to their plans. His direct running, ability to beat defenders one-on-one and growing end product make him a focal point of an Elephants side eager to reassert itself on the world stage.

For Leipzig’s defenders, there is little doubt. If Diomandé reproduces his training-ground brilliance under the World Cup spotlight, the teenager they battle with every day could soon become one of the tournament’s defining stars.