HEREFORD United’s leading scorer Stuart Fleetwood has praised his former strike-partner Mathieu Manset.

Manset played 60 minutes for Ivory Coast’s Under-23 team against Valence this week - just 18 days after leaving United.

Manset didn’t score in Tuesday’s friendly, but the Reading striker delivered an assist in the Elephants’ 3-0 success.

The French-born player bagged 11 goals this season for Hereford before his move to Championship Reading.

Hereford legend Guy Ipoua travelled to Valence to watch Manset play.

Fleetwood said: “Mathieu is one of the most gifted players I have played with and we knew that would make him a target for other clubs.

“We knew that we would have a lot of trouble keeping him,” said 13-goal Fleetwood.

“He’s only 21 and I would like to think that I have passed on some of my experience to him.

“He was at our game against Lincoln on Saturday and we all congratulated him on his move to Reading.

“If Mathieu can keep his head down and work hard, he will go far in the game.”

For more from Stuart Fleetwood, read this week’s Hereford Times.