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Published on Dec 24, 2024 at 12:37 par
George Boxall
Samuel Umtitti takes another wrong turn in Lille, and it could be the last.
The World Cup-winning French defender finds himself in a dire situation. Samuel Umtiti has not participated in a competitive match since January 2024, when he played 90 minutes during a Coupe de France match. Since then, a recurrence of his persistent knee injury has kept him out of matches and practices.
Lille had initially hoped to see glimpses of the player who had once dazzled FC Barcelona et the French team. During his time in Serie A with Lecce, Umtiti made 25 appearances and showed flashes of his old selfeven if he is far from being at the top of his form. However, his time at Lille was marred by injuries. The club's update in August confirmed that Umtiti had undergone further knee surgery, but no further information has been provided since.
At 31, Umtiti's career has been overshadowed by injuries, with over 1,100 days of recovery throughout his professional career. This season alone, he has been absent more than 300 days, which has pushed Lille to consider terminating his contract to ease financial pressure.
According to SportLille have lost hope of Umtiti regaining the form he showed in Italy, let alone his world-class abilities of years past. The club management is now considering cut ties with the playerciting his high salary and its lack of availability as significant concerns.
