Damien Durand, Red Star’s late bloomer who puts football first | OneFootball

Damien Durand has emerged as Red Star’s late-blooming spearhead. He turned 30 on 16 September and sits joint top of the Ligue 2 scoring chart on 8 alongside Troyes’ Tawfik Bentayeb.

According to L'Équipe, Durand is unfussed about being spotted late, is happy with where he is, and does not believe an academy path would necessarily have helped. He signed his first professional deal at 26 after balancing a job working with children at Morangis town hall with spells in DH, N3 and N2.

While at Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, he was noticed by Vincent Bordot during a winter Coupe de France tie on a muddy pitch, where his honesty, running and relish for the ball stood out. Bordot, now at Chartres in N3, praises his positioning, a hard-to-read dribble and speed with the ball over distance, making him difficult to stop.

A childhood friend, Kevin, says football has always come first and that Durand rarely missed training. Now into his sixth straight season at Red Star, he is widely liked, once nicknamed Platoche for an old-school look, and he resonates with supporters for his work-rate.

Current coach Grégory Poirier has used him more centrally and sees steady gains, from decision-making to defensive tracking. Durand relishes a challenge and accepts when he does not start, focusing instead on coming on to make the difference.

Source: L'Équipe