Egypt’s Mostafa Mohammed sees coach Antoine Kombouaré’s departure as a blessing in disguise

Egyptian international Mostafa Mohamed insists the departure of coach Antoine Kombouaré from FC Nantes could steer the club to European qualification.

The 27-year-old worked under Kombouaré last season at Nantes, where the club managed to survive relegation at the end of the campaign.

Currently, Nantes find themselves in the 16th position on the league standings under new manager Luís Castro.

The former ULS Dunkerque manager has one win in his first five games in Ligue 1, succumbing to three consecutive defeats.

Despite the clubs previous struggles, Mostafa Mohammed believes Nantes can challenge for European spot following managerial change.

“Kombouaré is the worst manager that I have ever had. If he stayed, I would have left,” began the Egyptian forward. “He is the one under whom I thought about leaving. I put that out there. When Luís Castro arrived, I immediately felt that he believed in me, so I decided to stay.”

He continued, “You’ll see this year, Nantes won’t play to stay up, they’ll compete for European qualification.”