- Bought eight million euros by Stade Rennais in the winter transfer window 2018, Rafik Guitane has almost never played with the Rouge et Noir because of an ugly injury.
- Returned at the end of the match on Sunday against Nîmes, the former Le Havres walked for the first time on the lawn of Roazhon Park.
- He could again have some playing time this Saturday against Toulouse.
It is still presented as one of the great hopes of French football. "One of the best of his generation", affirmed Olivier Létang at the time of his signature in the winter transfer window 2018. The former president of Rennes then congratulated himself on having stolen, for an indemnity of eight million euros, the Le Havre nugget with a nose and beard from Lyon or Monaco. But Rafik Guitane has so far not really had the opportunity to prove his talent.
The fault of course to injuries that have undermined his early career. Arrived in Brittany in the summer of 2018, after having finished the season on loan in his training club, the young midfielder was seriously injured in October 2018, victim of a cruciate ligament rupture during training with the France U20 team.
"A loan would have been a good option for him"
One more tile for the native of Evreux who had already experienced the same injury in Le Havre in January 2017, dismissing him for several months. "This delayed his ascent and his arrival in the first team," said his former coach Oswald Tanchot, who praises the technical qualities of the player. "He is a football lover, we saw him sparkling in training where he excelled in dribbling," said the former Le Havre coach.
Finally rid of his physical glitches, Rafik Guitaine returned to the pitch this fall. But his playing time remains famine with the Red and Black with only a tenure in the Europa League against Glasgow, a match in which he had been transparent.
It was a great joy to wear the jersey for my first tenure with Stade Rennais, after a long absence caused by my knee injury. Certainly disappointed with the result but what I experienced at Celtic Park will remain unforgettable Thank you to the supporters who were incredible pic.twitter.com/WJ1hffgI3q
- Rafik Guitane (@ rafikhino10) November 29, 2019The question of a loan to the winter transfer window has long been raised but, despite the interest of several clubs including Sochaux, ultimately did not materialize. "It would have been a good option for him to save time," said Oswald Tanchot. The qualities, he has them. But now he has to chain the games to really launch his career because he is 20 years old and has almost never played.
Julien Stéphan counts on him for the end of the season
Julien Stéphan seems in any case willing to give him a chance. Sunday, the international U20 thus had the right to twenty minutes of playing time against Nîmes. His first minutes on the lawn of Roazhon Park, two years after his signing.
Sunday against Nîmes (2-1), Rafik Guitane walked for the first time on the lawn of Roazhon Park with Stade Rennais. His first three appearances had taken place outside (Monaco, Cluj, Celtic). #SRFCNO
➡️ https://t.co/hjq2gj7Chj pic.twitter.com/cINyp22Szu
He could once again have his chance on Saturday against Toulouse, the red lantern of the championship. "He had a complicated start to his career here but he hung on and worked to get back," said the Rennes coach. He is now in the group and one of the players who potentially can have playing time until the end of the season. ” A good way to confirm, finally, all the hopes placed in him.
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