Blanc in awe of Sheva

At 35, Andriy Shevchenko is no spring chicken but Kiev’s favourite son is still the man the French fear most, according to his friend and foe Laurent Blanc.

As Blanc prepares his team to take on Sheva’s Ukrainian side in Donetsk tonight, he is only too aware of the threat posed by one of European football’s most enigmatic – and Ukraine’s most charismatic – men.

Shevchenko scored with two headers to beat Sweden on Monday night and put Ukraine top of Group D, taking his international tally to 48 goals in 106 games.