“Of course you suffer” – Player explains how it feels to be sidelined by Tottenham manager RDZ

If there’s any player who fans might agree has got it coming to him, it’s probably Neal Maupay. But even the harshest among us probably wouldn’t treat him how Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi did at Marseille.

The striker was initially labelled the “coach’s son” at the French club, enjoying a healthy relationship with the Italian coach in the early days of his Marseille reign.

Things later turned very sour, though. The pair eventually fell out, with the striker frozen out of the squad and subsequently loaned to Sevilla.

Reports in France at the end of last year explained that Maupay was eventually banished from Marseille’s first team set up by the now Tottenham manager.

That included being excluded from match-day squads, left out of the Champions League roster and barred from team meetings. During training he was allegedly only permitted to do the warm up before being forced to train alone and do basic practice.

The punishment was not only behind the scenes. De Zerbi openly deemed Maupay “not up to scratch” for his tactical system.

Maupay changes tact

Maupay later denied that there had been a falling out with the Tottenham boss.

But now he’s changing his tune. In a wide-ranging interview with RMC Sport, he admits that he suffered thanks to De Zerbi’s treatment.

“Personally, I wouldn’t treat my children like that,” he said regarding De Zerbi’s public criticism.

“Then again, everyone has their own way of doing things, their own parenting methods.

“When you show up for training and find your gear sitting in a portable cabin at the far end of the training complex, when you’re running laps all alone and can’t even access the dressing room, of course, you suffer. It would be a lie to say otherwise.

“But I don’t want to dwell on it; I need to move forward.” “I was sidelined for a large part of the season; I was training alone and didn’t see anyone, so it wasn’t easy to deal with.”

No grudges lingering

Interestingly, though, it appears that the striker holds no grudges against his former manager. Instead, he’s focused on the final years of his career after recently turning 30.

“Honestly, I don’t hold a grudge against anyone because I’ve matured a bit. But if this had happened a few years ago, I would have resented a lot of people,” he added.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m preaching, but it’s something I’m working on personally. I realise that a career moves very fast and is very short. I’ve just turned 30. It feels like I started just a few years ago, but no, it was 15 years ago, and I don’t want to clutter my mind with negative thoughts.

“I simply want to make the most of my career, keep improving, and perform well; I feel that holding a grudge against people who aren’t even here anymore would only hold me back. So no, I don’t dwell on those things. It wasn’t easy.

“Last year was a very difficult season for me, in fact, I didn’t say much at the time. I was sidelined for a large part of the season; I was training alone, coming in here without seeing anyone, so it wasn’t easy to deal with.”