the 21/04/2023 15h49
Malo Gusto has spent more than two months away from the pitch.
Away from the field since the beginning of February, the right side Malo Gusto is finally available with Olympique Lyonnais. A much too late return in the eyes of coach Laurent Blanc, who is struggling to hide his annoyance in this case.
Last winter, Olympique Lyonnais accepted a real heartbreak by selling its nugget Malo Gusto to Chelsea. The pain of the Gones was however mitigated by the amount of the transfer (35 million euros bonus included) and by the loan of the right side to his training club until the end of the season.
The idea was pretty cool on paper. Except that the 19-year-old talent injured his hamstrings on February 8, during the round of 16 of the Coupe de France against Lille (2-2, 4-2 tab). He hasn’t played since.
L. White – “it’s a subject on its own»
Present this Friday at a press conference, the Rhone coach, Laurent Blanc, however announced good news by explaining that the French international Espoirs will finally be available for Sunday’s clash against Olympique de Marseille as part of the 32nd day of Ligue 1. However, instead of expressing his relief, the Cévennes technician above all displayed his annoyance vis-à-vis this file.
«Malo Gusto is a subject on its own“, dropped the former coach of the France team. “Pragmatically, he is fit to play but he hasn’t been fit to play for long. It took too long for my taste. (…) He has been back since this week, he is fit for Sunday. Forget the Chelsea episode, it had been a long time since he had worn the OL tracksuit.»
Gusto has been warned
Obviously, Blanc did not digest the fact that Gusto was first taken care of by the medical staff of the Blues before returning to the Rhône only at the end of March. Between the lines, we also seem to understand that the OL coach believed that the Bleuet had been available for some time but that the London club slowed him down in order to limit the risk of a relapse. An understandable frustration as the Lyonnais, only 7th in L1, are fighting for European qualification.
In this context, Blanc did not promise his ex-owner to regain his status as a holder in the right lane, the young Saël Kumbedi having carried out a convincing interim in his absence. “I told him (to Gusto, editor’s note) to take advantage of the playing time he may have. There are 5-6 games left, if you want playing time you have to go get it“Warned the Gones coach. Atmosphere…
Do you understand Laurent Blanc’s annoyance in this case? Do not hesitate to react and discuss in the area “add a comment» …
Par Romain Lantheaumethe 21/04/2023 15h49
