For Niels Nkounkou, the Olympics represent the opportunity of a lifetime. The 20-year-old may not have been named in France’s initial squad, but he’s been handed a golden chance to prove himself on a global stage. One of 11 changes that coach Sylvain Rippo had to make to his initial squad, with several clubs refusing to release their players, Nkounkou will look to seize his moment when called upon, just as he has aimed to do for the Blues. Speaking to the press after Nkounkou’s first week at training,
Carlo Ancelotti said: “I think that Nkounkou is a young talent, a left back with a lot of skills and quality. Of course, he’s really young, he has to improve and the plan that we have for him is to work with him and to give him time to be ready for the first team.”
The plan was for him to join up with David Unsworth in the u-23s as he adapted to life in England, but he only featured four times in the Premier League 2, instead establishing himself as part of the first team setup. When Digne was serving a suspension in November, it was the 20-year-old Olympian who deputised in his absence, making his Premier League debut against Newcastle after impressive performances in the Carabao Cup. Though he was overlooked when Digne suffered an ankle injury later that month, Nkounkou understands his role and has fulfilled one of his main targets with an Olympic call-up this summer.
Niels Nkounkou said: “I have to be patient and show the manager in training I’m working even harder and he can count on me to deliver. Once I get the opportunity to play, it will be all about showing him I’m ready to perform whenever a position in the team opens up. In addition, another target I’m very much looking towards is the France Under-21s squad. That is an aim of mine, to be called up for that team.”
Having now been called up for the Olympics, Nkounkou’s aims should be two-fold. The defender’s first priority this summer will rightly be to bring an Olympic medal back to Finch Farm. However, with Ancelotti favouring more experienced operators during Digne’s absence last term, the 20-year-old will want to prove to new boss Benitez that he is ready to make the step up to the first team when needed. There is no better platform for him to do that than the Olympic Games.
