Paulo Fonseca has swapped the carrot for the stick when it comes to Endrick.
The Brazilian teenager has been the main headline at Lyon this season since joining on loan from Real Madrid in January.
A fast start was disrupted by a red card and inconsistency has since been the theme of his performances.
Last time out, against Angers, Endrick was particularly poor having just returned from the international break with Brazil.
He also announced he will be becoming a father for the first time at the age of just 19, perhaps giving an excuse for his distractions.
Fonseca calls out Endrick
Fonseca wasn’t interested, though, commenting: “I’m not happy with Endrick’s performance.
“He was tired after the trip to Brazil, but he has a responsibility to do more.
“We need him. Endrick needs to give more and be more available.”
Fonseca’s comments seemed to work, with Endrick registering an assist against Lorient on Sunday that ended a 13-game winless run, OL’s longest since 1992.
Endrick strategy revealed
Discussing his star player post-match, the Portuguese said: “As a coach, we have to find strategies to get reactions from the players, and that’s what I did.
“We talked to get a reaction from a player who is important to us and who needs to do more.
“I think he came on well and he had the reaction we needed. It was positive.
Asked about how the critique went down, Fonseca added: “Yes, we talked.
“Endrick is a young player, a very positive person, I really like his personality.
“At 19, he’s in a period of progression, of change, but we talked, everything is fine.”
Later, OL goalkeeper Dominik Greif backed Endrick, saying: “He’s a great player, a talented player, but everyone needs to understand that he’s 19 years old, he’s a boy.
“I think the expectations surrounding him are perhaps sometimes unfair.
“He’s an incredible player, he’s in a good environment. He has a lot to learn from our coach because he’s a very good coach.
“It’s good for all parties. But of course, there are better times and worse times.
“I think it’s also good for him to hear that football isn’t always easy.”





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