OM management would have expressed reservations regarding the diagnosis of the Espoirs medical staff concerning Quentin Merlin’s injury. The 22-year-old left-back would have played while he was already injured in his thigh. The Espoirs coach, Gérald Baticle, answered questions about the medical management he received.
The wound of Quentin Merlin was therefore at the heart of the debates, and his return caused some irritation among the club’s supporters. Hit in the thigh during the match which ended 1-1 on September 6, he initially thought he was suffering from a simple crutch. Nevertheless, he continued to play in the next match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which they won 2–0 four days later.
Gerald Baticlethe Espoirs coach, wanted to clarify the situation during his appearance on the Génération After show on RMC. He explained that Merlin had received good treatment after suffering a blow to his quadriceps during the match against Slovenia. “He participated in the first match with a bandage and received treatment the next day. Before the second match, he took part in a full training session. After speaking with the doctor and the player, we agreed that he was at 100% capacity, which allowed his alignment”said Baticle.
Player integrity is always the priority — Baticle
“He came off at the end of the match not because of a problem but because we were leading 2-0. He had a great gathering. There was a problem with a blow at one point but we didn’t detect any injury that could have been treated. The integrity of the players is always the priority, we like to recover them and make them fit. Seeing him on the sidelines is disabling for Marseille and for us”Baticle added.
This clarification from the coach aims to allay the concerns of OM supporters regarding the management of Quentin Merlin’s injury and the doubts about the diagnosis of the Espoirs medical staff. Not sure if he managed to convince everyone, but the main thing remains that the player has returned to racing and should soon be available for OM and their coach Roberto DeZerbi.
