At the start of the season, it wasn't clear who would be Lille's first-choice goalkeeper… but, with a strong of superb performances, Lucas Chevalier has made the position his own at the age of just 21.
If Lille end up qualifying for Europe this season, young goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier will deserve plenty of credit. The 21-year-old pulled off another breath-taking stop to help clinch the win at Toulouse last time… a save in keeping with the young Frenchman's brilliant season.
Fonseca: 'A big impression'
"Since he first day I arrived here, I felt a big impression about Lucas," LOSC's Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca told the Ligue 1 Show on beIN SPORTS.
Chevalier could hardly have made a better start: in just his fourth game, this boyhood Lille supporter excelled in a famous derby win over arch-rivals Lens.
Lille were looking for a successor to Mike Maignan – and they seem to have found him.
"I have to keep it up now," smiled the youngster. "There will be highs and lows in my career, harder times when I'm not getting so much praise. So I need to enjoy this, but keep my feet on the ground too, and keep working to ensure people continue talk positively about me as much as possible."
Rumspringa
A graduate of the Lille youth academy, Chevalier decided to make the short journey to Valenciennes last season – and he excelled during a season's loan in the second tier.
"I needed to go and play, and feel like I was an important player for the team… as a goalkeeper that's key, because you have responsibility," Chevalier explained. "I felt like I'd had a good season at Valenciennes, so I was able to come back to Lille with some confidence and to push for the No.1 jersey."
Chevalier has been a revelation since Fonseca first gave him his chance, back in September. The France U21 international has been inspirational for Les Dogues, keeping eight clean sheets and fuelling their push for Europe.
"It's not easy for clubs to show faith in such a young goalkeeper," he admitted. "There aren't many as young as me. So it has been fantastic."
Chevalier: 'Achieve great things here'
His reading of the game and brilliant reflexes have even caught the eye of France's senior boss Didier Deschamps, while ex-France captain Hugo Lloris has also singled the youngster out for praise.
"He is playing well," declared Fonseca. "He is a very very confident player, but he must continue to grow. He must learn, because he is very very young and he playing a very specific position."
The local favourite is living the dream, and Chevalier is now looking to finish the season with a flourish as Lille push for a place in the top five.
"Lille is my club," he beamed. "I've been a fan since I was a little boy, so of course I've always want to be at the club and achieve great things here."
Chevalier will be looking to claim a ninth clean sheet of the season in the Round 29 clash against Lorient on Sunday.
