Roberto De Zerbi says Ismaël Koné being pushed towards Marseille exit | OneFootball

He may only have arrived in the summer, however, Ismaël Koné (22) is being forced towards the exit at Olympique de Marseille, as Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed.

Canada international Koné arrived for a €12m fee from Watford having impressed in the EFL Championship. His start to the season was hindered by injuries, however, since then, he has failed to show a sufficient level to convince De Zerbi to use him in Ligue 1. As a result, he has been limited to just nine games in all competitions, including just three starts.

De Zerbi didn’t mince his words when evoking the future of the young Canadian, who will be allowed to leave Les Phocéens this January. A decision has been taken in that regard, as the OM manager revealed in Friday’s press conference.

“Koné’s departure is our choice. We know the team that we want but he is a nice boy,” began De Zerbi. “He hasn’t shown that he could be a part of our project but there was a lot of competition. I play those that deserve to play,” he added.

He added that he was “probably” leaving with Koné absent from training ahead of Marseille’s visit to face OGC Nice on Sunday night.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle