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Endrick absent from Lyon year opener but 'adapting well': coach / Photo: © AFP
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Endrick absent from Lyon year opener but 'adapting well': coach
Brazilian starlet Endrick will miss Lyon's first game after the winter break but is settling well into life in France since arriving on loan from Spanish giants Real Madrid, Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca said Friday.
The highly-rated 19-year-old fell out of favour at Madrid this campaign under Xabi Alonso and joined the Ligue 1 club in late December on loan until the end of the season as he seeks to secure his spot in the Brazil squad at the 2026 World Cup.
"Endrick started training this week and is adapting very well. The whole group has welcomed him warmly, he is very happy and we are very pleased to have him with us," Fonseca told his press conference ahead of Saturday's league trip to Monaco.
"He is ready to play matches, he has trained well and is very motivated."
However, Endrick will not make his Lyon debut this weekend due to deadlines imposed by the DNCG -- the financial watchdog of French football.
He is, instead, expected to pull on his new club's colours for the first time on January 11, for a French Cup meeting with fellow Ligue 1 side Lille.
Lyon have endured a topsy-turvy season so far as they sit fifth in the French top flight.
Their total of 22 goals scored is the lowest in the top half of the table, and Fonseca hopes their new big-name recruit can turn the tide for the former seven-time champions.
"He is a player with a different profile, which is what we needed. He is very strong technically, very fast and will bring individual initiative," Fonseca added of Endrick.
"He is a player who creates space, and the game will be different when he is on the pitch."
A.S. Leite--JDB
