FC Nantes coach Christian Gourcuff has described the club’s summer loan signing from Levante, Moses Simon, as an important creative player who will help improve his team this term.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles winger, Simon, was the last summer signing FC Nantes secured. He joined as a one-season loanee from Laliga side Levante.
Gourcuff handed the AFCON 2019 bronze medal winner his debut in FC Nantes’ second Ligue 1 match of the season at Amiens on Saturday, replacing Abdoul Kaer Bamba in the 73rd minute with the scoreline at 1-1. He scored in the 84th minute to secure a 2-1 win for the Canaries.
Simon could have bagged a brace if his header later in the game hadn’t come off the crossbar.
Aside his goal, the Nigerian brought in creativity in the final third for Nantes to the admiration of Gourcuff.
“We cannot hide the fact that we played with numerical superiority for a long time. We are progressing. In game run, we are consistent. We must know how to hold on to this and be comfortable. I think We are progressing, but the observations are the same: we need a little more creativity in the last 25 meters. Moses’ [Simon] entry is interesting in this sense,” Gourcuff told FC Nantes official website.
“We have worked a lot for the past two weeks. What I see makes me feel good, there is a buy-in from the players, we see that we can be competitive, but the points are important to build confidence. We still have some things to improve at all levels.
“But we were not solid in the last 25 meters. Maybe we were missing these creative players, like Bamba or Simon.”
FC Nantes are currently in ninth position in the 20-team French Ligue 1, on four points after three games.
The Gourcuff’s team will host Montpellier in their next Ligue one game on Sunday August 31.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
