Newcastle United defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa admits the passion for football in the country has surprised him.

Yanga-Mbiwa has been surprised by the intense focus on football during his short time in England.

The 23-year-old said: "This country really loves its football, it seems like it's one of the biggest things in life here and there's obviously a lot of attention placed on football, whereas in France perhaps it's a bit more of a minority who take football that seriously. It's a massive change to come from a country where there's not quite as much interest to one where football is so massive."