Roger Ricort, the sporting director of French club Nice, spoke about Egyptian defender Mohamed Abdelmonem, who recently returned to action with his team in the French league.
Mohamed Abdelmonem was absent from Nice's squad last season after suffering a torn cruciate ligament in his right knee, which he sustained against Paris Saint-Germain.
Mohamed Abdelmonem played his first match for Nice as a starter against Paris FC, and despite a clean sheet loss, he was the star of the game for his team.
Ricort said about Mohamed Abdelmonem in statements published by the French network "Nice Matin": "We thought he would want to leave the club."
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He added: "He was absent for a week, and when he joined training at the end of the following week, the coach told me, 'It would be good if he stayed.' We made sure to gradually bring him back to his best level."
Continuing on what Mohamed Abdelmonem lacks: "I strongly want him to learn the French language, and we will find someone to handle that. This player does not understand what the coach is saying when speaking to him. Frankly, he has excellent defensive qualities and wins the ball with cleanliness and precision."
When asked about reinforcing Nice's defense, Ricort said: "We believe so. Axel Vitsel is capable of helping, and there is also the young Hamza Couton, who has great potential. However, we should not bring in excess elements; we have four excellent players and only play one match a week."