Speaking after last night’s 5-0 victory of Liechtenstein’s U21s, France U21s captain Mattéo Guendouzi discussed the match as well as his decision to join Hertha Berlin on a season-long loan from Arsenal.
“We now have a fair amount of experience with the France U21s. This is the second or third season we (Ikoné & Guendouzi) are having with the France U21s, we already participated in the Euros, so we are the oldest here. We are here to help the team to the max and if that is with the seniors or the U21s, doesn’t matter, it is for France, so we will give everything as we always have done.”
On being captain:
I am more of a positive leader on the pitch, I will always be there for my team, for my team-mates, so the coach decided for me to be captain tonight, I hope I represented him well.
On joining Hertha Berlin:
They are a very good club with big ambitions. So, I have left to go on loan there for a year, so I will give everything I can for this club. I needed playing time, I need to play, I needed to enjoy myself on the pitch and that is what I am going to do this year.
On Arsenal and whether it was no longer possible:
It is not that, I just really needed to play this year, a new challenge. That was the most important thing for me. I am still young, I am only 21, so playing time was the top priority for me. So Hertha Berlin, I know that I will be able to express myself in a magnificent league.
