Speaking to the press, new Stade Rennais head coach Julien Stéphan announced his decision to elect veteran goalkeeper Steve Mandanda (38) as the new club captain. He therefore replaces fan-favourite Benjamin Bourigeaud (29) in that role.
It is an important decision from the new boss, who was hired only four days ago, following the departure of Bruno Genesio by mutual consent.
Facing the media, he was accompanied by the French goalkeeper, who commented on his new role, and specifically his relationship with Bourigeaud: “We exchanged with Bourige and, in the end, for both of us, it won’t change much with the roles we have within the squad. I’m not planning on changing my attitude.“, as reported by RMC Sport. Mandanda is amongst the few players to have played 100% of the minutes played by Rennes this season in Ligue 1.
Stéphan had already done something similar during his time at RC Strasbourg, giving the armband to Dimitri Liénard (35) when he arrived at the club. No doubt the 43-year-old will be aiming to leave his imprint on the pitch as well, with his first game as Rennes coach on Sunday, at home to Stade de Reims.
