The international break brought no minutes for Mohamed Ouédraogo with Burkina Faso, but its return has delivered a far harsher setback in Lyon. The 23-year-old wing-back has suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in training and is expected to be out for several months.
The move
Ouédraogo joined Lyon in the summer from Austrian club SCR Altach for a fee of just over €2 million. His first months at OL had offered only limited opportunities: he has played five matches in all and started twice.
Those starts came against Toulouse on 22 August and Anderlecht on 16 September. The serious knee injury now halts a season in which he had already been fighting for regular selection.
The precise length of his recovery has not been announced, but a cruciate ligament rupture will keep the Burkina Faso international away from competition for an extended period. He had returned from national-team duty without featuring for the Stallions.
The French season around it
Lyon have made an impressive opening to the Ligue 1 campaign under Paulo Fonseca and sit second in the table, behind AS Monaco. Ouédraogo’s absence is nevertheless a significant blow to a player still trying to establish himself after his summer transfer.
- Mohamed Ouédraogo: Lyon wing-back, 23, five appearances this season
- Paulo Fonseca: Lyon head coach
- AS Monaco: Ligue 1 leaders ahead of Lyon
- RC Lens: Lyon’s next league opponents
OL travel to Lens on Friday at 20:45 for the opening match of Ligue 1’s sixth round, with their young recruit now facing a long rehabilitation rather than a chance to add to his early-season appearances.
