Amid growing criticism surrounding his performances at Nice, Arsenal loanee Nicolas Pépé will at least be able to count on the support of his manager Didier Digard.
The former Angers and Lille forward had come on in the second half of Les Aiglons‘ Conference League quarter-final second leg against Basel last Thursday, making his return from an injury lay-off. From 3-2 up on aggregate, Digard’s men would go on to lose the tie, with Pépé in particular struggling to make an impact and missing clear opportunity to seal their spot in the last four.
In his press conference ahead of tomorrow’s match against Clermont, Digard has sought to defend Pépé, pointing out that the forward had made an effort to return for the game despite his knee issues. His words transcribed by RMC, the coach hailed the Arsenal man’s commitment:
“Nico showed extraordinary commitment to play the match. He even took risks in terms of his fitness. He wanted to help the team. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to. You could forget what he’s done or not see it from the outside. But he’s a guy with an incredible mindset who tries to help the team. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.”
Pépé has scored 6 goals in 19 Ligue appearances, having missed most of the second half of the campaign through injury. His loan does not include a permanent option at the end of the campaign.