Kevin Volland is trying to "set the example" to his young Monaco teammates even though — as he told The Ligue 1 Show — he can't even talk to them yet.
The Germany international is one of the few established stars in a Monaco squad that is brimful of youthful talent. Having only arrived last summer from Bayer Leverkusen, it's no suprise Volland has yet to pick up much French, but the 28-year-old is trying to use his football to communicate.
"We have a very talented, young team, and I am one of the few experienced players in the squad," he explained. "Most of the youngsters here only speak French, so I can’t really talk to them, but I try to set the example on the pitch, both in training and in matches. I always try to 100 percent. That's important for me."
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Though he has yet to overcome the language barrier, the former Hoffenheim forward has already struck up a solid understanding on the pitch with fellow forwards Gelson Martins and Wissam ben Yedder.
"I think that we are getting better and better as a trio. It was a bit tricky at the start because we had to get to know each other. But the understandings is improving and we've seen that in the recent games," said Volland, who reserved special praise for Ben Yedder.
"He's a very intelligent player, and he's brilliant in the box. If you give him a good pass he'll nearly always score. He's a top quality player. Cesc is also an excellent player, with great vision. We have a lot of quality and we try to combine together with Sofiane Diop as well. He's young but already a very, very good player – very impressive for his age."
A Volland double was the cornerstone of the memorable come-from-behind win over Paris Saint-Germain in Round 11. After failing to find the net in his first six league appearances for the principality outfit, Volland has now scored five times in his last four Ligue 1 Uber Eats games to help Monaco to four successive wins and a place in the top four.
A return to UEFA Champions League football would be the ultimate 2020/21 goal for the eight-time French title winners, but though things are going well now, Volland knows Niko Kovac's men have a lot of work ahead of them before they can return to European club football's top table.
"Of course Monaco are a historic clubs that's won many trophies. Maybe not in Europe, but the club has always gone a long way in European competitions. So we'll do everything we can to finish in the top five at the very least. If we can finish second or third, then we'd be delighted. But for that to happen, we have to work hard. That's the most important thing."