PROFILE | Year of mixed fortunes for France international Adrien Truffert

It’s no secret that the other top European leagues scour France for their next talent, and usually when there is interest then that player will eventually be sold for the right price. With Adrien Truffert there has been no shortage of interest which makes it all the more surprising that the fullback was still representing Stade Rennais at the start of the season. 

The young talent has consistently caught the eye of Premier League clubs intrigued by his balance of attacking possibility and defensive resilience, but why they were hesitant to make a move can perhaps be explained by a desire to wait until they saw how the player would recover from a serious setback. 

Last year looked to be a banner season for Truffert as he earned his first call-up for the French national side, but it ended in early disaster. A season-ending injury sustained against Paris Saint-Germain in March meant that any hopes that Truffert had of building on his international adventures were gone. 

The fullback had been somewhat fortunate that injuries had first opened the opportunity for him to gain his debut cap with France, and it was a cruel twist of fate that he would then also be hit by one. Especially as until that point in the season he had demonstrated his immense potential. 

Truffert part of fragile Rennes defence

Truffert made a full recovery to start this season and has returned as an ever-present fixture on the left flank. However, Les Rouges et Noir have struggled defensively this season. The team have been far too leaky at the back, having managed to only keep five clean sheets across all competitions. 

For a player who is more than capable in attack but flourishes in the defensive tasks, this has had an impact on the young fullback. Fbref shows that Truffert has seen a decrease in the number of tackles and blocks he makes per 90 minutes compared to last year. The season prior Truffert recorded 2.86 tackles and 1.47 blocks per 90 but this has dropped to 1.64 tackles and 1.23 blocks. 

There is still a long way to go in the season and there is more than enough potential within the prodigious left-back to return all aspects of his game to where he was when he suffered that devastating injury.

GFFN | Nick Hartland