Olympique Marseille head coach Habib Beye has urged Tochukwu Nnadi to remain patient as he works his way into the team, expressing confidence that the Nigerian midfielder will become an important player for the club in the future.
Nnadi, 22, joined the French club in a €6 million deal from Belgian side Zulte Waregem during the winter transfer window, but has struggled to make an impact since his arrival.
Despite showing much promise during his time in Belgium, Marseille’s change of coach has not helped him and he has only managed three league appearances so far, tallying only 26 minutes across the games.
The 22-year-old has also been left on the bench for the club’s last two games and has been reportedly tipped to seek an exit this summer in search of regular playing time at a different club.
What Beye said about Nnadi
Habib Beye, who became Marseille coach in February following the departure of Roberto De Zerbi, believes Nnadi would get his chance to perform at the club.
The former Rennes coach also admitted that the Super Eagles midfielder has been impressive in training and has only been unlucky due to the intense competition in the midfield, limiting his playing chances.
“No, Nnadi makes a very good impression on me, but it’s in this area where we have the most players, we have seven or eight midfielders. So, in this situation, rotation isn’t necessarily frequent for them”, Beye said.
“I’m very satisfied with his contribution, especially defensively and his ability to press four or five meters.
Having spoken with him, I’d also like to see him work on that offensively. He needs to be able to inject some dynamism; in a two-man midfield, you need players who can also contribute in the second line.
In his development and adaptation, he needs to work towards that, but we’re very satisfied with his attitude and what he does defensively.
“We need to continue working with him on his adaptation to gradually integrate him into the team. Like everyone else, he’ll have his chance to play. Sometimes, it takes a little more time”, the Marseille coach concluded.
Marseille will be in action on Friday night when they face Metz, with Nnadi hoping to get another chance to impress on the big stage.
