Ghanaian defender Kojo Peprah Oppong says he is surprised by how quickly he has established himself in the first team at French Ligue 1 side OGC Nice.

The 21-year-old joined Nice from Swedish outfit IFK Norrköping this summer and was initially expected to develop gradually. Instead, he has started every competitive match for the club since making his debut against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers in August.

Oppong was again named in the starting XI in Saturday’s Ligue 1 game against FC Nantes, even with club captain Dante returning from injury.

“I’m surprised,” Oppong admitted after the match as quoted by Get All French Football.

“I didn’t expect to play this much in the beginning, but I’m now playing a lot and I expect a lot from myself.”

The Ghanaian centre-back also revealed he is learning from Dante’s experience.

“He helps us young players a lot. After the game, he told me it’s important to manage the game, save energy, and when leading, not to attack too much as centre-backs. That was really good advice,” he added.

Oppong’s emergence has been one of the bright stories of Ligue 1 this season.