Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has claimed that his time away from France has made him a better player after completing a move to Lyon.

The 26-year-old's struggles with Newcastle United were followed by a loan spell with Roma, and some of his performances for the latter offered a reason why the Premier League club paid £8.5m for his services in January 2013.

Despite often finding it tough to find consistency in the last two years, the defender is confident that he can produce his best form on his return to Ligue 1.

"In England I discovered new staff and also the impact of physical work, although my experience there did not totally work," he told L'Equipe.

"In Rome it went better for me, I played a lot and I learned a lot with the coach Rudi Garcia. I hope to share my experience with my new teammates at OL.

"I will give 100%. There is a lot of expectation around me [but] I will try to answer it and do good things here."

Yanga-Mbiwa is in line to make his debut against Rennes on Saturday.