Walking off in a strop straight down the tunnel following his substitution against Metz, Giannelli Imbula didn’t win any brownie points with his manager, Pascal Dupraz.
In fact, the Stoke loanee’s decision to do so has not only cost him his spot in the starting line-up, he’s now out of the squad altogether.
Ahead of this weekend’s clash against Dijon, the Toulouse manager revealed in his press conference that his team would have to do without the Potters’ midfielder.
He said, relayed by FootMercato: “Giannelli Imbula will not be a part of the group of 18. He’s putting in effort but still needs to do more to get back to his level. I have a lot of choice in my midfield, and there’s a lot of competition, which was announced at the beginning of the season”.
While Dupraz didn’t mention the Metz incident directly, the decision to leave him out completely suggests there’s more to it than just bad form, which would have just required a drop to the bench.
This is yet another setback in the career of a naturally gifted footballer who has struggled to find his Marseille form that earned him a move to Porto a few summers ago.
Once looked at as a potential France international, the Stoke City loanee is probably one of the last midfielders on Didier Deschamps’ list at the moment.
Something needs to change, and quickly.
