Paulo Fonseca hits back at ‘heavy and unfair’ Endrick criticism | OneFootball

Endrick (19) hit the ground running when he joined Olympique Lyonnais on loan from Real Madrid in January. The Brazilian had found himself out of the frame at the Bernabeu, and the move to Ligue 1 was designed to get his career back on track. 

It could hardly have got off to a better start. In his second game in Ligue 1, he netted the first hat-trick of his career in a 5-2 win over FC Metz, whilst he also netted in OL’s Coupe de France wins over Lille OSC and Stade Lavallois. 

However, his last goal in the league dates back to that game against Metz on 25th January. Recently, the Brazilian has come in for significant criticism for his choices in the final third and a perceived selfishness on the ball. It comes amid a downturn in form more generally, with Lyon losing three of their last four games. The draw against Paris FC on Sunday night (1-1) stopped the rot, but Endrick’s performance off the bench was once again criticised. 

Paulo Fonseca jumped to the Brazilian’s defence. “He is only 19; you expect a lot from him. Endrick spent over a year without playing, and now he is playing almost every match,” began the OL manager. 

“He played on the right when he arrived, but it was hard to make him understand the best option when going in behind. He always wants the ball, but we also want him to go in behind. When he scores, the evaluation is very positive, but when he doesn’t score, [the criticism] is very heavy and unfair,” added Fonseca.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle