One of the revelations of the season at Rennes, young centre-back Warmed Omari has forced his way into coach Bruno Genesio's plans as Les Rouge et Noir push for a European finish - while also performing well in the Europa Coneference League.
The Rennes youth-team graduate got his first real taste of Ligue 1 Uber Eats action against Angers in August and he hasn't looked back since.
"Warmed did very well when he came on and he showed he's capable of slotting in," Genesio told the Ligue 1 Show on beIN SPORTS. "We can't play the whole season with just eleven men. It's great for me that we have these young players we can count on."
Warmed Omari has made 19 appearances in all this term, starting 16 times. The strong, intelligent stopper has been so impressive he has relegated €17m summer signing Loic Badé to the bench.
Support
Born on the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, the 21-year-old is receiving the support he needs from his senior colleagues to flourish.
"A lot of the lads have helped me to settle in… Hamari Traoré, Sehrou [Guirassy], [Benjamin] Bourigeaud," said the bright young prospect. "Because I'm still young and have a lot to learn, tactically and technically, sometimes my concentration drops off. We talk a lot and that helps me to have more confidence in myself."
Impressive
With his confidence up, Omari is displaying his full array of talents; comfortable with the ball at his feet, the defender has impressed with his surges forward and accurate passing.
Against Brest in the recent derby, Omari completed more passes than any other player, but also won the most aerial duels and registered the most clearances. Superb against PSG again a fortnight ago, his performance was lauded by coach Bruno Genesio.
"Defensively, he was brilliant! Which, for a centre-back is the most important thing. He was great too with the ball at feet," said the former Lyon tactician. "He's progressing with every game. Since the start of the season, every game I've had people saying how surprised they are by him. But he works hard in training, he's serious and he has the qualities! I'm not surprised!”
The future looks very bright for young Omari - starting with Friday's tough trip to Montpellier to kick off Ligue 1 Uber Eats Round 26.
