Stade de Reims: Luka Elsner responds to the enigmatic Gabriel Moscardo case

When will we see Gabriel Moscardo play with Stade de Reims? While we are already preparing to play the 12th day of the championship, the young Brazilian on loan from PSG has still not played a single minute this season. There is still improvement in his situation because he is now on the sidelines (4 in a row). Until then, with the exception of Marseille on the 2nd day, he was confined to the infirmary due to a debilitating hip injury. Except that since mid-October and his return, he has not played.

A situation that concerns even his club where he signed until 2028, Paris Saint-Germain. Recruited for €20 million in January from Corinthians, Moscardo finished the season in Brazil with his training club before joining his new club. In the meantime, things did not go as planned as he underwent foot surgery, keeping him away from the field for more than three months. Once he landed in France, Luis Enrique considered him too soft compared to the level of his squad and validated the idea of ​​a loan to Ligue 1.

Still not a single minute played in an official match

Except that the capital club also did not expect that its young recruit would not have the slightest minute in official competition until mid-November. There was even talk of breaking the loan to see him elsewhere, in a club that would agree to play him. There may be a glimmer of hope for him. During this international break, Moscardo played in a friendly against Olympique Charleroi (3rd Belgian division). He even scored a penalty which he himself converted. The end of the ordeal? It will only depend on Luka Elsner, the Reims coach who shed some light on this situation this evening.

“It’s not that he’s too frailhe initially assures RMC this Tuesday evening. When you come with a strong label like his, expectations are very high. He was injured immediately after his arrival for a few weeks and it slowed down his development because he arrived with very little preparation. Or nonerecalls the Slovenian in reference to the player’s serious foot injury at the start of the year. He was already coming out of an operation a few months ago. It took a while to set up.»And then the Brazilian discovered European football for the first time.

Elsner on Moscardo: “there is an adaptation phase and he is in this phase»

“We must not underestimate the criteria of Ligue 1 in terms of intensity. It’s a football that goes very fast, which requires very quick sequences. Like all young foreign players, there is an adaptation phase and he is in that phase. It’s up to me and my staff to determine the most relevant and intelligent moment to launch it and put it into performance, in a context where it can express itself and flourish.», Continues Luka Elsner, who was particularly excited when the player arrived this summer, before quickly being confronted with other problems, such as this hip problem.

The 42-year-old technician is just asking for time to validate this adaptation process. “I know there is impatience. He works hard to reach the highest possible level, adapting as best as possible to all criteria. It will come, I have no doubt about that fact. Time is running out for everyone but it’s up to us to be smart and calm so that everything goes in order.» To his credit, the absence of the young Brazilian on the field never harmed him. After 11 days of Ligue 1, Stade de Reims is 7th and well on its way to playing in the first half of the table. Much to the dismay of Moscardo, who will have to fight to find a place in this squad.