Ahead of KAA Gent facing AS Roma, Laurent Depoitre has given an interview to Sport/Foot in Belgium about his return to Belgium.
He’s enjoyed himself since his exit from Huddersfield, scoring 15 goals and assisting four others in 32 appearances, and remains the club’s main striker despite his slightly advancing years.
The 31-year-old appears relaxed and calm ahead of the clash, far more so than he ever did at the John Smith’s Stadium, where he felt he was perhaps held back.
He said: “Huddersfield played very defensively. The manager didn’t say it with those words, but the aim was to not concede a goal. Most of the time, we defended, waited for the opposition, the whole team dropped back. I was just running around all over the place.
“In certain games, we didn’t play with wingers. It was a striker, a number 10 and three number sixes. It’s hard for a striker to relax and take pleasure when playing football that way. Sometimes, I’d get the ball in our half, and suddenly, I had three Liverpool or City defenders in front of me… Not easy”.
During his time with the now Championship side, Depoitre only managed six goals in 60 appearances, as well as three assists, and yet the team will always be thankful for his contribution as it was his goal that allowed them to stay an extra year in the Premier League.After that, it was all a bit downhill, as the club ended up getting relegated and the veteran forward was given the opportunity to return to his home country and fight for some silverware with Gent.
They currently sit second in the Jupiler Pro League behind Club Brugge, although there is a nine point difference between the two sides.
