Having been named Serie B player of the month for February following his series of sparkling displays for table-topping Sassuolo, it was a fitting reward for hotshot Armand Lauriente.

With14 goals and five assists in 27 appearances this season, after scoring in Sassuolo’s 5-1 win over Reggiana on Saturday, there’s no doubting what a key man he is for Fabio Grosso’s promotion-bound team.

Right in the hunt to win the Pablito for the second tier’s top scorer and boasting more goal involvements than anyone else in the division, the Paris-born attacker has been a revelation alongside star man Domenico Berardi.

But in an interview with Chiamarsi Bomber, the 26-year-old insisted team glory was more important than the Pablito and winning the Serie B MVP award.

“It would be a pleasure to win the top-scorer title, but the most important thing is to get promoted, for the team and for the club,” he said. “I don’t know (about the MVP), there are many good players in the league. Yes, I have all the qualities to be one of the best, but the most important thing is the team objective, and my personal one comes second.

“I try to bring all my offensive qualities to score, to contribute as much as possible, to bring out the qualities of the group and to try to do the best possible on the pitch.”

Proving an absolute nightmare for defences to contain across the Italian second division, his mastery with the ball at his feet, blistering speed and physicality have been integral to his success.

Explosive, powerful and possessing a handy repertoire of moves to outfox opponents in 1v1 situations, Lauriente terrorising defenders has been a common sight and one of the reasons why ex-Sassuolo coach Alessio Dionisi previously likened him to former Neroverdi dynamo Jeremie Boga.

Capable of beating adversaries with his searing pace, ability to rapidly accelerate and change direction on a dime, and how he unbalances opponents with feints and shimmies, Lauriente is a lethal weapon for Sassuolo.

The fact he has such excellent close control compounds issues for defenders and minimises their room for error, for it heightens the challenge of stopping him while increasing the potential of fouling him.

So good at creating shooting opportunities for himself with his razor-sharp cuts infield from the left on to his hammer of a right foot, this proven formula has been difficult to stop even if markers know what he’s going to do.

When it comes to his finishing, much upside can be found here too, even though he fires off some low-percentage efforts and can sometimes go himself when a colleague is in a more desirable location.

In fairness, more often than not, he has been vindicated in his decisions to chance his arm with his aptitude here, rippling the net with some wonderfully placed shots, instinctive close-range strikes, neat 1v1 attempts and trademark blasts from the edge of the box.

“I don’t have a favourite position to score from, but I often find myself in a similar spot. I’m a right-footer playing off the left, so I often shift onto my right to shoot,” Lauriente explained.

Holding his own in terms of generating openings for others with crosses and cutbacks, crafty lay-offs, dangerous set-pieces, penetrative passes to feet and incisive through balls, all increases his final-third menace.

His intelligent movement and spatial awareness elevates what a class act he is, adding width and depth to attacks with his pacy, calculated runs in behind. Not only do these stretch defences, they force opponents to give covering support, making space for team-mates to exploit.

He is clever at finding space inside the penalty area and ranks ninth in Serie B for touches in the box per 90 (4.68). He also gives whoever has the ball a fine target by knowing when to attack the front post and when to go to the back.

Executing shrewd rotations across the frontline, including with Berardi, to inject variety going forward, and choosing when to venture infield, which allows his nearby full-back (usually Scotsman Josh Doig) to maraud ahead on the underlap, amplifies his threat.

Comparing his stats to Berardi (who leads the league in assists with 12), it is clear to see how they work well together and remarkable to consider it is Lauriente boasting bigger numbers in many metrics that matter.

Last summer he felt a sense of responsibility to get the club back to Serie A. “I, Berardi and others in this team have a moral debt to the club; we want to bring it back to Serie A. Domenico has a unique way of involving everyone. He is the soul of the locker room. He puts his experience at the service of everyone, a leader. I needed to understand the category, the opponents, how to move on the pitch and my role,” Lauriente told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Following that relegation, he said: “I miss enjoying the stage (Serie A). Once you experience it, you can’t wait to go back there. The transfer rumours did not influence me, those are there every year – for everyone.”

The Frenchman is set to be a man in demand this summer. It will be interesting to see if he stays put or if Sassuolo cash in. West Ham, Tottenham, Wolves, Napoli, Roma, Lazio, Marseille, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have been reportedly keeping an eye.

But he is loving life within Grosso’s framework, which is certainly getting the best out of him and granting him the freedom to shine.

With the Serie B title and the individual awards all within touching distance, it could be a dream finale to the campaign for arguably the finest and most decisive player in the league.

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