UAE Team Emirates" directeur sportif Alan Piper said that the team's young star, Tadey Pogachar, is one of the favorites to win the Tour de France.

In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, the Australian coach said he does not want to put pressure on the 21-year-old but counts Pogachar among the favorites to win the race, which runs from August 29 to September 20.

Pogachar, who turned pro with his team last year, had a very successful Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España, winning three stages and finishing third overall. He will restart his season with Strade Bianche and will take on the Criterium du Dauphiné before making his Tour debut.

"I don't want to put extreme pressure on him, but I would put him as the favorite to win now," Piper told Het Laatste Nieuws (open in new tab).

"Certainly [he is] a strong candidate for a good overall result. He leaves nothing to chance. We will build a strong team around him and prepare for all possibilities."

Last week, Matsin said Fabio Aru would lead the team in the Tour because the Italian has the most experience; the 30-year-old struggled throughout the 2018 season before undergoing surgery last spring for an iliac artery stenosis.

Alu returned to 14th place in the Tour de France, but a muscular injury ruled out a return to the Vuelta; he has 10 grand tour finishes, including a win in the 2015 Vuelta and podiums in the 2014 and 2015 Giro d'Italia.

UAE Team Emirates will send two to the Tour, along with David de la Cruz and Davide Formolo. Alexander Kristoff also rearranged his schedule to run the Classics and will head to France.

"It's an important quartet, with everyone having their own responsibilities and importance," Mateixin said of the Tour leaders.

"Aru will be the main leader. Pogachar is going to a race he doesn't know and is very different from the others. The goal for him is to learn and see how far he can go without compromising."

Pogachar will restart in Strade Bianche before taking on Milan-San Remo and Il Lombardia after the Criterium du Dauphiné. After the Tour, he will return to one-day races, including the Ardennes Triple Crown and his debut at the Tour of Flanders in late October.