In a press conference held this Friday Olympique Lyonnais coach Fabio Grosso spoke about the game-time given to Rayan Cherki (20), who has seen his involvement reduce since the nomination of Grosso as manager of Les Gones. The following was transcribed at a press conference attended to by RMC Sport.
“I was aware of Rayan Cherki before his performance in the Espoirs match. He possesses extraordinary potential, and everyone hopes he can translate that potential into consistent performance,” Grosso commented, echoing sentiments he had previously expressed on the player.
He further elaborated, “Is he a special player? He’s a player; he’s not a special player. He’s a player like any other, albeit with some additional qualities. But it’s not just technical qualities that matter; there are mental and athletic qualities as well. He possesses enormous technical abilities, but he needs to work on the others.”
Grosso continued, “His destiny is in his hands. He has been blessed with incredible qualities, but he can improve. As we’ve said before, he is one of those players who needs to progress to fully realise his immense potential. In the end, we make the best choices for the team.”
During last week’s France U21 match, Thierry Henry chose to deploy Rayan Cherki as the playmaker alongside AS Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche. Cherki appeared to thrive in this position, contributing to eight out of nine goals against Cyprus. Meanwhile, Lyon face Clermont in a vital match at the bottom of the table, with both sides occupying 17th and 18th in Ligue 1 respectively.
GFFN | George Boxall
