Nidal Celik, Lens's phoenix, could be thrust into Coupe de France final | OneFootball

From reserve bench to possible starter in Friday’s Coupe de France final at 21:00, Nidal Celik’s turbulent Lens season rolls on. The 19-year-old will also play the World Cup with Bosnia from 11 June to 19 July.

Last winter, Lens sold defensive pillars Kevin Danso, Abdukodir Khusanov, Przemyslaw Frankowski and Brice Samba to raise funds, and sporting director Diego Lopez loaded up on risky bets. As reported by L'Équipe, Celik arrived from FK Saravejo in early February for nearly 3 M€, his early sessions exposing a gap to Ligue 1 level and the fee raising eyebrows at La Gaillette.

Parked with the reserves, even on their bench, he was heading for obscurity. The reserve side were docked 4 points at the end of last season for using him in N3 before his registration was completed. An injury crisis on Valentine’s Day, with Jonathan Gradit, Samson Baidoo and Kyllian Antonio sidelined and Arthur Masuaku suspended, pushed Pierre Sage to start him against Paris FC, a 5-0 win.

A solid debut became a two-month run until Baidoo and Antonio returned. His limitations then surfaced, most starkly in the early April derby at Lille, a 0-3 defeat in which he received a 1/10 rating. He slipped out of the squad.

Celik reappeared after another Baidoo setback, a left hamstring problem, delivering a steady display in Sunday’s 4-0 win at Lyon. A dressing-room figure joked he always finds a way back, adding that with such fortune he could even score at the Stade de France.

Logic points to a bench role against Nice, yet doubt over 18-year-old Antonio, who hurt his left thigh in Lyon and has trained only once with the group since, heavily strapped, could push Celik into the XI. Sage said he has trained at the same intensity as others, took his chance when it came, dropped out and returned, and they will see on Friday if the story continues.

Source: L'Équipe