Nasser Larguet has given Olivier Ntcham some encouragement despite his lack of playing time at Marseille.
After playing 45 minutes in a cup tie against Auxerre the on-loan Celtic midfielder has only played 27 minutes of in Ligue 1 despite Marseille struggling in seventh place.
Ntcham’s arrival led to the departure of Andre Villas-Boas after he spoke out against the transfer with Larguet put in charge until the end of the season.
Neil Lennon claimed that Ntcham had been looking to leave for some time but unless things change quickly for him at Marseille it looks like he’ll be back in Scotland this summer looking for an alternative escape route.
Speaking to RMC, the Marseille boss said:
Today he suffers a little from the good health of Bouba Kamara and Pape Gueye, explained the Franco-Moroccan technician on the eve of the trip to Lille. But it is true that he is as lucky as the others to be able to play. He’s a real professional. It’s a real plus for the team.
All players have a role to play in the matches to come. It is true that Olivier Ntcham is coming. Frankly, he’s a nice guy, he’s a hard worker. He did a lot of extra sessions. He came to extra sessions because he had that period of inactivity. He really is a true professional.
Celtic paid Manchester City around £4.5m for Ntcham in July 2017 with the French u-21 internationalist making a significant contribution in his debut season.
Since then his influence has declined, with his contract expiring in June 2022 it is unlikely that there will be any profit from a transfer.
