Lopez is a player ready to come out of the shadows at Marseille, as new head coach Rudi Garcia has already shown a willingness to gamble on him.
The 18-year-old started for the first time in a Ligue 1 match during Sunday’s drab scoreless encounter with Bordeaux at the Velodrome, burdened by an expectation of great things from him.
OM are not a club renowned for their prolific youth academy, yet Lopez has caused a stir – Marseille have not seen a talent of his standard since they welcomed Samir Nasri to their squad in 2004.
His first real steps among the professionals were encouraging.