Fabien Lemoine’s injury : Rennes in a state of shock

“We were not expecting such news. This is a difficult moment for him, for his family, for the club.” Frédéric Antonetti is in shock. After learning of Fabien Lemoine’s operation today, and the removal of his right kidney, the manager is stunned. “I’ve never seen such thing, never heard of anything like this before”. The whole squad was in shock after the announcement. “First we thought it would not be too bad”, Asamoah Gyan explains, “but the squad has been shocked by the news. I wonder why this happens to him, a young player and a wonderful man”. “This is bad news for him, for the club and for everyone around”, Stéphane Dalmat continues, also surprised by the extent of the injury. “I don’t know him that well, but I can feel all the love and respect everyone in Rennes has for him.”

Dalmat: « health is more important than football »

“Health is more important than football, it’s a luxury”, the former Inter Milan player continues. “We will do our best and try winning for him against Saint-Étienne, hoping it will make him feel good.” In October 2009, Sochaux’s American international Charlie Davis was badly injured in a car accident. Stéphane Dalmat went through this hard time with his then team-mates. “It made us realise there are things more important than football. The rest, the little worries, it’s nothing.”

« Family spirit » and solidarity

Frédéric Antonetti hopes these hard moments will bring « solidarity inside the squad ». “We often talk about family spirit. It takes difficult times to see if it exists. We need to be strong together and show solidarity to Fabien and his family. Tragic situations are often uniting people.” I wish him a quick recovery. I hope he will come back stronger very soon to help the team, Asamoah Gyan adds. “When I was injured, I forgot about football, I remained with my family. I don’t know what his mind-set will be but for me, when I could not play and saw my mates play on, I felt sad.”

Who will replace him this season?

48 hours before the game against Saint-Etienne, another question is asked: Who will be able to replace the generous midfielder and his ability to carry the ball forwards? Besides M’Vila, Stéphane Dalmat could be the right replacement to the Saint-Étienne-en-Coglès born player. With his experience, he could be the relay on this midfielder where only one player (usually Jerome Leroy) has a real attacking role. Alexander Tettey or Tongo Doumbia, who extended his contract until 2014 this morning, could also make themselves a place in the starting eleven with a role similar to Lemoine’s. George Mandjeck, the Cameroon player arrived this summer from Stuttgart, has got a more defensive profile. He could be playing alongside M’Vila whenever Rennes faces sides with a strong attacking potential.

All of this waiting for Fabien Lemoine’s return. Everyone at La Piverdière hope to see the young player, who never spared his efforts under the Rennes shirt, come back as soon as possible

Nicolas Auffray - Le Mensuel de Rennes

Picture : www.rennes.lemensuel.com