At a press conference this Sunday, Wout Faes was questioned by our French colleague about the absences of Romelu Lukaku and Thomas Meunier, who are not necessarily incapable of playing physically. He ended up getting a little annoyed.
There are a few absentees amid controversy during this international break, and not just among the Red Devils: the Kylian Mbappé case has set football France in turmoil. The Real Madrid star was left to rest by Didier Deschamps, and then… went to Sweden to party, as he declined his selection to “stay in Madrid”.
He is also a French journalist from The Teama regular at Red Devils press conferences, who questioned Wout Faes on the subject. The question was clear and direct: what did the central defender, one of the team’s leaders, think of the absences of Lukaku and Meunier, who had played recently?
“Case by case”, for Wout Faes
“It has to be taken on a case by case basis because each case is specific,” Wout Faes quickly put things into perspective. “It also allows the coach to see other players during the international breaks, so it’s not so bad.” Relaunched, Faes continued: “Once again, it’s case by case and it’s something that we see in other selections,” believes the Leicester City defender.
“Some players have busier schedules than others, they discuss it with the coach and come to an agreement. I don’t see why that would be a problem,” Faes asked. Response from our colleague from L’Equipe: because everyone should be in the same boat.
“You have your opinion and I have mine,” the Devil concluded with a tight little smile. The subject was difficult to avoid, and Wout Faes handled it quite well…
