Lille stars close to return from injury, with Monaco clash on the horizon

Bruno Génésio was able to confirm the return of three key Lille OSC attacking players ahead of hosting AS Monaco on Saturday afternoon. 

Jonathan David, Angel Gomes, and Matias Fernandez-Pardo all resumed training this week.

 David and Gomes both returned to training on Thursday after they missed the Sunday night match against Stade Rennais (2-0) last weekend following minor muscular issues. 

Fernandez-Pardo has been out of action since the start of the new year. 

The winger suffered a torn ligament in his ankle ten minutes into the match against FC Nantes on January 4 (1-1). The Belgian was able to return to training on Tuesday. 

Génésio revealed having several players does not seem like a luxury to him, most especially in attack, which has come as very good news for him.

 However, Lille will still be without a significant amount of their squad, with Edon Zhegrova, Rémy Cabella, Ethan Mbappé, and Thiago Santos all on the sidelines, while Mitchel Bakker is suspended. 

4th place is up for grabs for Lille if they can defeat Monaco on Saturday, and possibly even a podium position if OGC Nice falter against strugglers Montpellier HSC. 

One player who remains sidelined but is close to returning is Samuel Umtiti. The former Barcelona man’s career has been defined by injuries. 

Since the 2018 World Cup win in Russia with Les Bleus, he has struggled to stay fit, and that ultimately paid off his time at Barcelona. 

Now at Lille, he suffered a knee injury on January 21, 2024, in a Coupe de France fixture.

That injury required surgery and then another bout of surgery just before the start of the season. 

Away from the pitch for so long, Umtiti did consider retirement before ultimately opting to try and make one final comeback. He is now on his way back with LOSC manager Bruno Genesio, revealing that the former France international has now made a (partial) return to first-team training.