NEW Newport County AFC midfielder Tyreeq Bakinson has revealed that France World Cup winner Paul Pogba is his biggest inspiration in football.

The Bristol City teenager, who is on loan at the Exiles until January, says he looks up to Manchester United star Pogba and also learnt a lot from former Chelsea ace Michael Essien.

He may have some way to go before emulating either Pogba or Essien but it is no secret that the 19-year-old is highly regarded by Lee Johnson, his manager at Ashton Gate.

And County boss Michael Flynn is a big fan of the Londoner too, with a six-month loan deal secured to have Bakinson in place for the start of the new League Two campaign.

Speaking to iFollow Exiles, he said: “I look up to Paul Pogba quite a lot just because he has the same kind of stature as me.

“He plays like I would like to play so I would have to say Paul Pogba is a real inspiration.

“I feel like we both have the same athleticism, so I look up to him a lot.

“I need to add more goals into my game which is something he is doing now – it’s all about learning and improving really.

“I would like to think of myself as a box-to-box midfielder.

“I like to get around people, get on the ball so hopefully the fans will get to see a lot of that this season.”

He added: “I also looked up to Michael Essien – more so when I was younger – and when he was at Chelsea.

“I just feel like he was a really good player on and off the field.

“People will obviously say that what really matters is what happens on the pitch, but you also want to be a good person off the pitch as well.

“It doesn’t always mean as much as on the field, but I feel like for me, that is just as important.”

Having been involved in County’s pre-season games, Bakinson believes he can see some positive signs ahead of the season opener against Mansfield Town on Saturday.

One of those pluses, according to the former Luton Town player, has been the signing of Welsh international Andrew Crofts.

“There’s a lot of leadership within the dressing room which I was quite impressed with,” he said.

“Usually, there’s only one or two leaders in a squad but there’s more than that here.

“Everyone is helping each other in a positive way so that’s good.

“Andrew Crofts being here was another reason that I chose to join.

“The manager told me about that when I was speaking to him and I think he’s a great signing for the club.

“I can personally learn a lot from him and so can a lot of other players as well. He’s very professional.

“Andrew is quite open to helping anyone, if he has any advice then I feel like he will tell me. It’s very good.”