Yann M'Vila

At the age of just 21, Yann M'Vila is already one of the first names on France coach Laurent Blanc's team-sheet.

The Rennes defensive midfielder has taken to international football like a duck to water and his startlingly assured displays for club and country have seen him linked with sides including Arsenal and Inter Milan in recent weeks.

M'Vila was a surprise inclusion in Raymond Domenech's preliminary squad for the 2010 World Cup and after only his first full season as a professional he made his international debut in Blanc's first game in charge in August 2010.

He has been a virtual ever-present ever since.

As the deepest-lying player in the French midfield, M'Vila's principle responsibility is defensive and he prides himself on his tenacious approach.

"I want to play in every match," he said in October last year. "It's like a pit-bull. When you give him something, he holds onto it and doesn't let go. When I've got something, I don't let go."

However, there is far more to his game than crunching tackles alone.

A busy, bustling presence on the ball, M'Vila is blessed with excellent awareness and is always looking for an incisive forward pass.

His statistics in that domain are particularly impressive.

In the last Ligue 1 season, he averaged more passes per game (71.1) than any other player and also produced more accurate long passes per game (7.8) than any other outfield player, according to the website whoscored.com.

"Dribbling doesn't interest me at all," he says. "It's not my game, or my style. It's true that I get more of a kick out of a really good diagonal ball -- a 'Champions League pass', as my coach calls it."

M'Vila's coach at Rennes, Frederic Antonetti, has been a key influence.

The outspoken Corsican has done his best to shield M'Vila from the pressure his precocious displays have generated and it was Antonetti who brought the midfielder into line when his performances dipped in the second half of the 2010-11 season.

"He's there when we stray from the path," says M'Vila. "Sometimes, unconsciously, I neglected my defensive duties. He showed me videos and said: 'You see, before, you used to do that. Now you're not doing it anymore.' It forces you to work."

M'Vila is a player who requires careful handling, as his chequered off-pitch record testifies.

In March, he went to court to accuse two prostitutes of robbing him and a friend following France's friendly game with Chile last August, while he spent a night in custody earlier this month for allegedly punching a 17-year-old acquaintance.

There was also an altercation with a disgruntled fan at Rennes' training ground following their French Cup elimination by third-tier Quevilly in April, which obliged security personnel to intervene.

A father of two boys, M'Vila concedes that he has done "silly things" in the past but it has not prevented him from establishing a reputation as one of Europe's finest up-and-coming players in his position.

He has particular reason to look forward to France's opening game at Euro 2012, against England on June 11, after missing out on swapping shirts with his hero, Steven Gerrard, following France's 2-1 friendly win at Wembley in November 2010.

"It's a small regret," he admits. "I've always been a fan of his. Have you seen the passes he plays? With one pass he can take out three lines of players."

Antonetti says M'Vila will be allowed to leave Rennes this summer, admitting: "He could play for a top-eight European club and we can't deny him that."

He will not come cheap, however, and his performances in Poland and Ukraine are only likely to add to his steadily soaring value.