PROFILE | Désiré Doué turns the corner at PSG | OneFootball

The start of the year looked to be the moment of change for Désiré Doué. The teenager was struggling for game time around the winter break and it was clear that the Rennes head coach Julien Stéphan did not immediately trust in youth as he left Doué to survive on piecemeal minutes at the end of games.

It was a surprising outcome as the teenager had long been the intriguing jewel at the heart of the Rennes side, and the club had worked hard ahead of the 2023/24 season to convince him that his future would be best served at his formative club. However, Stéphan needed to see more, “I’ve asked him to find a carelessness. He’s a talented player and he’ll have opportunities.”

Doué convinced his head coach to make him a regular starter and he helped the club become one of the more in-form teams in Ligue 1 as Rennes went undefeated from the start of the year to the 25th of February. A key moment in that run for Doué came when the winger was used as part of the double pivot in a 1-1 draw with PSG.

It was a disciplined performance as Rennes were kept in a low block for the majority of the game, and Doué earned the praise of his head coach, “Maybe a few weeks ago, it was a little early to put him in this position. He’s showed me that he’s progressed in certain areas to be able to perform.”

Doué wins Luis Enrique’s trust

Over the summer, the change would come. The teenager had been courted for years by Europe’s elite and in a bidding war between Bayern Munich and PSG. France’s capital club would come out the winners. Doué arrived just after the start of the season on a €50m fee making him the second most expensive sale in Rennes’ history.

Under Luis Enrique, the teenager has once again slowly won the trust of his head coach. The winger was only provided with three starts before December earning a single assist. However, in the final month of the year, there have been signs that the Rennes academy product could live up to his price tag.

December saw Doué score his first goal for the club during a Champions League victory over RB Salzburg. This feat won him starts in the next two matches, where he played a pivotal role, recording an assist and winning a penalty against Lyon, and scoring against Monaco.

GFFN | Nick Hartland