TEENAGE French midfielder Donovan Makoma has ‘unlimited potential’ in the eyes of Barrow AFC boss Paul Cox.

Cox secured the 18-year-old’s services on a one-year deal last week, after he stood out in pre-season on trial. Makoma was spotted by Barrow’s scouting network ahead of the summer, having been released by Lens, where he came up through the junior ranks.

Cox has seen great promise in the former French Under-16s international, and believes he can grow and prosper at Barrow, where he is one of four Frenchmen in the squad.

“Donovan has come in for pre-season, and what we have seen in him is masses of potential,” said Cox. “He’s one, similarly to Dan Cockerline, where we will get him in and try to improve him.

“We know there is a very good footballer in there, with unlimited potential.

“He’s come in, he has shown a maturity way beyond his years in some of the games – the Motherwell game in particular – and we think he is going to become a very, very good player for us.”

Cox knows it will be tough for the youngster to adapt to the demands of the National League, but he is positive that is an obstacle Makoma can overcome.

“There has to be a growth for him,” the AFC manager added. “It’s not the easiest of leagues to come into if you haven’t played it, even if you’ve played at a higher level. When you come from a different country, with a different culture of football, there has to be that element of bedding in.

“It’s not what I see in Donovan now, it’s what he can become, and I think that was key to us signing him.”

While joking that he and his back-room staff are in night classes learning French, Cox is happy to have Moussa Diarra, Bedsente Gomis and Thierry Audel on hand to help their countryman adapt to the demands of the English game.

All three Frenchman have been playing on these shores for a number of years, either with Barrow or elsewhere, and Cox sees that as a big benefit.

“It helps when you’re a young lad playing in a different country, getting used to a new culture and a way of life, to have those three or four lads, who are good pros, in the dressing room,” he said. “They can help him bed in, which is of benefit to everybody.”