Roger Ricort, the sporting director of French club Nice, spoke about the situation of Egyptian defender Mohamed Abdelmonem, revealing the behind-the-scenes details of the period before his return to group training, and praising the player's capabilities.
Ricort said about Abdelmonem in statements published by the French newspaper "nicematin": "We thought he would want to leave the club. He trained separately for a week, and at the end of the second week, when he joined the group training, the coach told me it was good that he stays with us. We worked on gradually bringing him back to his best level."
He added: "I strongly want him to learn French, and we will find someone to help him with that. When this player speaks, the coach doesn't understand what he is saying."
Nice's sporting director praised the Egyptian defender's abilities, saying: "Honestly, he has very significant defensive capabilities. He is also good at getting the ball out and building play from the back."
Ricort addressed the extent to which Nice needs to sign a new defender, explaining: "Do we have enough players in the back line? We believe the answer is yes. Axel Vitsel can play in this position when needed, and there is also the young Hamza Couton, who has great potential."
He concluded his statements by saying: "In the end, we should not have too many players in this line, because we have four players at a good level, and we only play one match per week."
Mohamed Abdelmonem had been absent from the starting lineup with Nice for 492 days, before returning in the last match against Paris FC, which ended in a 3-0 victory for the latter.