A former mentor of PSG midfielder Idrissa Gueye says he was in contact when Everton blocked his move in January.

Jimmy Adjovi-Boco, the founder of the Diambars Institute in Senegal, was one of Gueye's junior mentors.

He recalled: "I was often in touch with him at that moment - because I felt the big disappointment coming, I had to be there to discuss with him, to advise him, to reassure him that it was only part of the process.

"It is said that the train never runs twice, but I was convinced that he was doing too well so that it would not happen one day or another. What happened this winter has reinforced the desire to work together on both sides."